Vitamin C alleviates alcoholic liver injury by suppressing neutrophil infiltration in senescence marker protein 30-knockout mice irrespective of its antioxidant effects

Abstract

Aims: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) comprises an important component in chronic liver diseases, and its clinical significance has increased due to the high consumption of alcohol worldwide. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, and several previous studies have suggested that its therapeutic role in ALD is derived from its antioxidant role. However, the relationship between vitamin C and infiltration of neutrophils that mediate hepatocyte necrosis and apoptosis in ALD has not been discussed to date. Main methods: In the present study, wild-type C57BL/6 and vitamin C-deficient senescence marker protein 30-knockout mice were pair-fed with a Lieber–DeCarli control or ethanol diet. Ethanol-fed groups were fed with increasing concentrations of EtOH (Lieber–DeCarli control diet for 5 days, 3% EtOH diet for a week, and 5% diet for 2 weeks) with or without vitamin C supplementation. Key findings: Vitamin C dramatically attenuated the ethanol-mediated liver injury in the vitamin C-deficient ethanol-fed mice group by suppressing the infiltration of neutrophils accompanied by less CD68-positive cell infiltration. Significance: This study provides a novel possibility of vitamin C to be used as an anti-inflammatory therapeutic agent associated with neutrophil infiltration in ALD, thereby helping to establish strategies for attenuating ALD. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.