Published online Nov 7, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i41.6205
Peer-review started: August 8, 2019
First decision: September 18, 2019
Revised: September 26, 2019
Accepted: October 17, 2019
Article in press: October 17, 2019
Published online: November 7, 2019
Core tip: Chronic biliary obstruction results in ischaemia and hypoxia of hepatocytes and leads to apoptosis. The protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK)-induced apoptotic pathway is the main and important way, however, its role in liver injury and hepatocyte apoptosis remains unclear. Yinchenhao decoction (YCHD) can alleviate liver injury and apoptosis, but whether YCHD can attenuates obstructive jaundice (OJ)-induced liver injury and hepatocyte apoptosis by inhibiting the PERK-induced pathway is still unknown. In this research study, we found that OJ induced liver injury and hepatocyte apoptosis by activating the PERK- CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP)-growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 34 (GADD34) pathway and upregulating the B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 related X protein (Bax)/ B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) ratio. YCHD attenuated these changes by inhibiting the PERK-CHOP-GADD34 pathway and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.