title: Effect of Sinai san decoction on the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the effect of Sinai san decoction on the development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis induced by CCL4 combined with a fat-rich diet in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups randomly: control group (n = 9), model group (n = 9) and treatment group (n = 9). The rats of model group and treatment group were given small dosage of CCL4 combined with a fat-rich diet, and those of control group were given normal diet. After four weeks of fat-rich diet feeding, the rats of treatment group were given Sinai san decoction. The serum levels of aminotransferase and lipid were measured, and the pathology of livers was observed by HE staining after the rats were sacrificed at eight weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rats' livers presented the pathology of steatosis and inflammation with higher serum levels of ALT and AST in the model group. In the treatment group the serum ALT and AST levels decreased significantly and were close to the control group. The hepatic inflammation scores also decreased markedly, but were still higher than those of control group. And the degree of hepatocyte steatosis was similar to that of model group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sinai san decoction may ameliorate the hepatic inflammation of rats with steatohepatitis induced by small dosage of CCL4 combined with a fat-rich diet, but does not prevent the development of hepatocyte steatosis.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related Diseases, Ministry of Education, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China. drzhq@163.com
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Deng-Ben
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001835:Body Weight; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D008055:Lipids; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase