Therapeutic Sesamol Attenuates Monocrotaline-Induced Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome in Rats by Inhibiting Matrix Metalloproteinase-9

We investigated the therapeutic effect of sesamol against monocrotaline-induced sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) in rats. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were gavaged with a single dose of monocrotaline (90 mg/kg) to induce SOS. Sesamol (5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) was subcutaneously injected 24 h after monocrotaline treatment. Control rats were given saline only. Aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, mast cells, CD 68⁺ Kupffer cells, neutrophils, myeloperoxidase, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), laminin, and collagen were assessed 48 h after monocrotaline treatment. All tested parameters, except for TIMP-1, laminin, and collagen, were significantly higher in monocrotaline-treated rats than in control rats, and, except for TIMP-1, laminin, and collagen, significantly lower in sesamol-treated rats than in monocrotaline-treated rats. In addition, liver pathology revealed that sesamol offered significant protection against SOS. We conclude that a single dose of sesamol therapeutically attenuated SOS by decreasing the recruitment of inflammatory cells, downregulating MMP-9, and upregulating TIMP-1 expression.