Protective Effects of Caffeic Acid against Liver Injuries in D-Galactose-Induced Mouse Aging Model

Background: Liver aging is an important risk factor for chronic liver diseases.Oxidative stress is considered a common pathological mechanism for liver aging.This study aims to investigate caffeic acid's effects against liver injuries in a D-galactose-induced mouse aging model.Methods: Forty male mice were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=8): 1) control (Con); 2) Sham; 3) caffeic acid (CA), 4) aging (Ag), and 5) aging+ caffeic acid (Ag+CA).The aging model was induced through daily intraperitoneal (i.p) injections of D-galactose (300 mg/kg) for 6 weeks.Caffeic acid (60 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected daily for 6 weeks.One day after the last injection, the mice were anesthetized, blood was withdrawn (for liver enzymes evaluation) and the liver was removed.The histopathological changes in the liver were examined using hematoxylin-eosin staining. Results:The results showed that D-galactose-induced aging significantly increases the level of liver enzymes (AST, ALT and ALP) as well as liver tissue destruction compared to the control and sham groups (p<0.05).Treatment with caffeic acid in the Ag+CA group significantly decreased the level of liver enzymes and tissue damage index (p<0.05). Conclusion:The results indicated that caffeic acid can reduce the destructive effects of D-galactose-induced aging in liver tissue.