[Influence of Cordyceps sinensis on pancreatic islet beta cells in rats with experimental liver fibrogenesis].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of Cordyceps sinensis (CS) on pancreatic islet B cells of experimental hepatic fibrogenesis rats.


METHODS
Rats were randomly allocated into three groups: normal group, model group and CS group. The rats in the latter two groups were administered with CCl(4) solution to induce liver fibrosis, the CS group was also treated with CS 10 days after the beginning of CCl(4) administration. Rats in normal group were sacrificed at the beginning of the experiment, while the rats in the other two groups were sacrificed randomly at the end of the third and sixth weeks. The rats' islets were isolated and cultured in vitro, then the basal insulin level of the islets and the serum level of insulin were determined by radioimmunological assay.


RESULTS
It seemed no change that the levels of serum insulin and basal insulin between the model group and the normal group at the third week. But at the sixth week, both insulin levels in the model group were higher than those in the normal group (52.6 mU/L2.5 mU/L vs 23.7 mU/L 2.3 mU/L, q=13.01, p<0.05; 52.94muU/ml 13.12muU/ml vs 35.16muU/ml 5.64muU/ml, q=10.06, p<0.01). No significant change could be seen in the serum levels of insulin between the CS group and the model group at the third and sixth weeks. But the basal insulin levels in the CS group were apparently higher than those in the model group at the third and sixth weeks (156.63muU/ml 6.57muU/ml vs 39.64muU/ml 3.95muU/ml, q=66.94, p<0.001; 140.44muU/ml 38.53muU/ml vs 52.94muU/ml 13.12muU/ml, q=12.98, p<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Cordyceps sinensis can increase the basal insulin level of the islets in CCl(4)-induced liver fibrosis rats.
Zhang
Xia
X
Department of Gestroenterology, The Second Affiliated Clinical College of Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, Chongqing 400010, China.
Liu
Yu Kan
YK
Zheng
Qian
Q
Shen
Wei
W
Shen
Ding Ming
DM
D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D032661:Cordyceps; D005260:Female; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D000078790:Insulin Secretion; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D007328:Insulin; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride