Protective effect of Wu-Zi-Yuan-Chung-Wan on carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver damage and chronic liver fibrosis in rats

• Main Authors: I-Chien Hsieh, 謝怡倩
• Other Authors: 彭文煌
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/55799716837809187008

碩士 === 中國醫藥大學 === 中國藥學研究所碩士班 === 96 === Wu-Zi-Yuan-Chung-Wan (WZYCW), a multi-herbs Chinese medicinal formula, includes Lycium barbarum L., Cuscuta chinensis Lam., Plantago asiatica L., Rubus chingii Hu and Schizandra chinensis Baill.with a long history for the treatment of” kidney deficiency ” in traditional Chinese medicine. The aim of this study is to investigate the hepatoprotective effect and possible mechanism of the WZYCW in CCl4 induced acute liver injury and chronic liver fibrosis in rats. The study was divided into two parts. Firstly, in order to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of WZYCW on CCl4-induced acute liver damage in rats. GOT, GPT activities in the serum were analyzed, and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPx, GR) in the liver were also measured. Rats were treated with CCl4 in the absence of WZYCW, the activities of GOT and GPT were increased, while the activities of the antioxidant enzymes were decreased. In the presence of WZYCW, the activities of GOT and GPT were significantly reduced and the activities of SOD, GR and GPx were remarkably increased. The protective effects of WZYCW on CCl4-induced liver necrosis and vaculization were shown by histological examination in CCl4 treated rats. These results suggested that WZYCW protected CCl4-induced acute liver injury in the rat. Secondly, the anti-fibrotic effect of WZYCW on CCl4 induced chronic liver injury in rats was evaluated. CCl4 was administered intraperitoneally twice a week for 8 weeks to male SD rats. The CCl4 treated rats showed an increase in the liver weight. Administration of WZYCW significantly decreased the activities of the serum GOT, GPT, the levels of MDA, NO and TGF-β1 in the liver. The activities of SOD, GR, GPx and catalase in the liver were significantly increased. On histological examination, WZYCW showed preventive effect against liver necrosis and fibrosis. These results suggested that WZYCW possessed antifibrotic effect. Form the above results, it was suggested that WZYCW possessed hepatoprotective and anti-fibrotic effects. The hepatoprotective and anti-fibrotic mechanisms of WZYCW may be due to increasing the activities of the antioxidant enzymes and decreasing the TGF-β1 level in the liver.