Abstract: Objective To investigate the hepato-protective effects of Sorfren injection on rat liver injury resulted from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods Rats were randomly divided into control, NAFLD model and Sofren-treated groups. The Sofren-treated groups was developed by feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. Subsequently, the Sofren-treated group received tail vein injections of Sofren solution (0.4 mL/100 g) for 8 weeks. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β),IL-6 and malondialdehyde (MDA) were quantified by enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay(ELISA). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was assessed by chromogenic method. Histopathological evaluations were performed by Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) and Prussian blue staining. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were applied to analyze the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2),heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1) and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1). Results Compared with control group, the model group exhibited significant elevation of serum ALT, AST, MDA, and inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6), reduction of SOD activity, increased hepatic iron deposition, down-regulated Nrf2, HO-1, and GPX4 expression, and up-regulated level of TFR1 and FTH1(P＜0.05). Treatment with Sofren injection markedly reversed these pathological alterations(P＜0.05). Conclusions Sofren injection may alleviate liver injury in NAFLD rats.

Key words: Sofren injection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase-1, ferroptosis