Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc. fruit ameliorates alcoholic liver injury in mice by inhibiting apoptosis and inflammation through oxidative stress

•Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc. (PM) prevented alcoholic liver injury of mice.•PM inhibited molecular mechanism involved in alcoholic steatosis and apoptosis.•We identified active compounds in PM, against alcoholic liver injury.•Protective mechanism was confirmed using an identified active compound. The effects of Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc. extract (PME) on alcohol-induced liver injury were investigated. These functions of PME were linked to antioxidant activity that suppress lipogenesis in liver tissue, in part inhibiting activation of sterol response element binding protein-1 through ROS-mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling axis, and by suppressing hepatic apoptosis and inflammation through ROS-mediated p53 signalling pathway. Eight compounds and their structures in PME were also identified by LC-MS analysis, and chlorogenic acid (CGA) and neochlorogenic acid (NeoCGA) were validated using standard compounds by HPLC. The effects of CGA against cellular damage caused by alcohol-induced oxidative stress were confirmed using AML-12 cells. CGA significantly inhibited alcohol-induced apoptosis and MAPK activation in the cells. Moreover, antioxidant activities of CGA in the alcohol treatment were demonstrated regarding to cellular redox status and oxidative damage. These studies validated therapeutic value of PME in the prevention of alcoholic liver disease.