S-Propargyl-cysteine prevents concanavalin A-induced immunological liver injury in mice

S-Propargyl-cysteine (SPRC), an endogenous H 2 S modulator, exerts anti-inflammatory effects on cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease, but it remains unknown whether SPRC can prevent autoimmune hepatitis. To evaluate the preventive effect of SPRC on concanavalin A (Con A)-induced liver injury and uncover the underlying mechanisms. Mice were randomly divided into five groups: control, Con A, SPRC (5 and 10 mg/kg injected intravenously once a day for 7 days), and propargylglycine (PAG; 50 mg/kg injected intraperitoneally 0.5 h before SPRC for 7 days). All mice except the controls were intravenously injected with Con A (20 mg/kg) on day 7. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were evaluated using kits. Inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ) in the blood and in the liver were detected by ELISA Kit and real-time PCR, respectively. The expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway proteins (p-JNK and p-Akt) and apoptosis proteins (Bax and Bcl-2) was detected using western blotting. SPRC reduced the levels of AST (p