title: Hepatoprotective effects of Arctium lappa Linne on liver injuries induced by chronic ethanol consumption and potentiated by carbon tetrachloride.
abstract: Arctium lappa Linne (burdock) is a perennial herb which is popularly cultivated as a vegetable. In order to evaluate its hepatoprotective effects, a group of rats (n = 10) was fed a liquid ethanol diet (4 g of absolute ethanol/ 80 ml of liquid basal diet) for 28 days and another group (n = 10) received a single intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 ml/kg carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) in order to potentiate the liver damage on the 21st day (1 day before the beginning of A. lappa treatment). Control group rats were given a liquid basal diet which did not contain absolute ethanol. When 300 mg/kg A. lappa was administered orally 3 times per day in both the 1-day and 7-day treatment groups, some biochemical and histopathological parameters were significantly altered, both in the ethanol group and the groups receiving ethanol supplemented with CCl(4). A. lappa significantly improved various pathological and biochemical parameters which were worsened by ethanol plus CCl(4)-induced liver damage, such as the ethanol plus CCl(4)-induced decreases in total cytochrome P-450 content and NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity, increases in serum triglyceride levels and lipid peroxidation (the deleterious peroxidative and toxic malondialdehyde metabolite may be produced in quantity) and elevation of serum transaminase levels. It could even restore the glutathione content and affect the histopathological lesions. These results tended to imply that the hepatotoxicity induced by ethanol and potentiated by CCl(4) could be alleviated with 1 and 7 days of A. lappa treatment. The hepatoprotective mechanism of A. lappa could be attributed, at least in part, to its antioxidative activity, which decreases the oxidative stress of hepatocytes, or to other unknown protective mechanism(s).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Song-Chow
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chia-Hsien
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chun-Ching
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yun-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chin-Fa
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: I-Cheng
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Li-Ya
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D031170:Arctium / Q000737:chemistry*; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D009251:NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D009929:Organ Size; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D009251:NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase; D005978:Glutathione