Astaxanthin Protects against Alcoholic Liver Injury via Regulating Mitochondrial Redox Balance and Calcium Homeostasis

Increasing evidence points to the critical role of calcium overload triggered by mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). As an important organelle for aerobic respiration with a double-layered membrane, mitochondria are pivotal targets of alcohol metabolism-mediated lipid peroxidation, wherein mitochondria-specific phospholipid cardiolipin oxidation to 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) ultimately leads to mitochondrial integrity and function impairment. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to identify effective nutritional intervention targeting mitochondrial redox function for an alternative therapy of ALD, in order to compensate for the difficulty in achieving alcohol withdrawal due to addiction. In this study, we confirmed the significant advantages of astaxanthin (AX) against alcohol toxicity among various carotenoids via cell experiments and identified the potential in mitochondrion morphogenesis and calcium signaling pathway by bioinformatics analysis. The ALD model of Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats was also generated to investigate the effectiveness of AX on alcohol-induced liver injury, and the underlying mechanisms were further explored. AX intervention attenuated alcohol-induced oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation as well as mitochondrial dysfunction characterized by degenerative morphology changes and collapsed membrane potential. Also, AX reduced the production of 4-HNE by activating the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway, which is closely associated with the redox balance of mitochondria. In addition, relieved mitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation caused by AX was observed both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we revealed the structure–activity relationship of AX and mitochondrial membrane channel proteins MCU and VDAC1, implying potential acting targets. Altogether, our data indicated a new mechanism of AX intervention which protects against alcohol-induced liver injury through restoring redox balance and Ca2+ homeostasis in mitochondria, as well as provided novel insights into the development of AX as a therapeutic option for the management of ALD.