Tier 4 — mechanistic

Subacute exposure to apigenin induces changes in protein synthesis in the liver of Swiss mice

Łukasz S. Jarosz, Katarzyna Socała, Katarzyna Michalak, Kamila Bulak, Artur Ciszewski, Agnieszka Marek, Zbigniew Grądzki, Piotr Wlaź, Edyta Kowalczuk-Vasilev, Anna Rysiak
Frontiers in Physiology 2025 16:1576310

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 40415790
PubMed Central
PMC12100293
DOI
10.3389/fphys.2025.1576310
Funding
Supported by the University of Life Sciences in Lublin (SUBB.WWE.19.049) and Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (MPK 502-11-30-07, ZFIN 00000010).
Competing interests
The authors declared no commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignControlled 14-day animal exposure study with histology, cytokine and proteomic analyses
ModelAdult male albino Swiss mice
Sample20 mice total; 10 apigenin and 10 vehicle control
Intervention50 mg/kg apigenin intraperitoneally every 24 hours versus 1% DMSO vehicle
Duration14 days
EndpointsLiver weight; Liver histology; ALT, AST and ALP; Hepatic inflammatory cytokines; MALDI-TOF proteomic profile

What the study showed, in plain terms

This 2025 mouse study examined liver morphology, inflammatory markers and protein-expression changes after two weeks of daily apigenin injections.

Key findings

Most apigenin-exposed mice showed slight microscopic hepatocyte degeneration and several hepatic proteins were differentially expressed. However, liver weight, measured inflammatory cytokines and serum ALT, AST and ALP did not significantly differ from controls, leading the authors to describe functional/morphological changes without clear systemic liver toxicity in this model.

What this study can and cannot tell us

The sample was small, treatment lasted 14 days, only male mice were studied, and apigenin was given intraperitoneally at 50 mg/kg. These findings cannot establish long-term safety or risk at human oral supplement doses.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology