Preventive effect of Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction on rat liver fibrosis.
OBJECTIVE
To study the preventive effects of Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction on liver fibrosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) in rats.


METHODS
Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into hepatic fibrosis model group, control group and 3 treatment groups (12 rats in each group). Except for the normal control group, all the rats received 1% DMN (10 muL/kg body weight, i.p), 3 times a week for 4 wk. The rats in the 3 treatment groups including a high-dose DMN group (10 mL/kg), a medium-dose DMN group (7 mL/kg), and a low-dose DMN group (4 mL/kg) were daily gavaged with Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction, and the rats in the model and normal control groups were given saline vehicle. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the changes in serum hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), and type IV collagen levels. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were measured using routine laboratory methods. Pathologic changes, particularly fibrosis, were examined by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Sirius red staining. Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) were examined by transmission electron microscopy.


RESULTS
Compared with the model control group, the serum levels of HA, LN, type IV collagen, ALT and AST were decreased markedly in the other groups after treatment with Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction, especially in the medium-dose DMN group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the area-density percentage of collagen fibrosis was lower in the Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction treatment groups than in the model group, and a more significant drop was observed in the medium-dose DMN group (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Qianggan-Rongxian Decoction can inhibit hepatic fibrosis due to chronic liver injury, delay the development of cirrhosis, and notably ameliorate liver function. It may be used as a safe and effective thera-peutic drug for patients with fibrosis.
Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College, Chengde 067000, Hebei Province, China. chli612@yahoo.com.cn
Chun-Hui
CH
Li
Li-Hui
LH
Pan
Zong-Wei
ZW
Yang
Chun-Yu
CY
Li
Wen-Xie
WX
Xu
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D024141:Collagen Type IV / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000097:blood; D007797:Laminin / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D024141:Collagen Type IV; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007797:Laminin; C527657:qianggan; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase