Hepatoprotective role of vardenafil against experimentally induced hepatitis in mice

Vardenafil is a selective phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor used for erectile dysfunction treatment. The hepatoprotective role of vardenafil against acute hepatitis is not reported yet. Hence, this study aims to explore the protective role of vardenafil against concanavalin A (Con A) induced acute liver injury. Mice were pretreated with vardenafil (0.17 mg/kg/day) for seven consecutive days, and then subjected to a single IV injection of ConA. The results demonstrated that the vardenafil pretreatment significantly reduced the elevated serum levels of transaminases and alkaline phosphatase. Histopathological examination showed marked necrosis and inflammation in Con A-treated mice which was significantly ameliorated in vardenafil pretreated animals. Vardenafil pretreatment significantly alleviated the expression of nuclear factor kappa-B and inducible nitric oxide synthase in the hepatic tissue. Additionally, serum levels of nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were decreased in vardenafil pretreated animals compared to the Con A group. Therefore, our results demonstrate that vardenafil has hepatoprotective effect and this could be linked to decrease inflammatory mediators.