[Effects of Qinggan Huoxue Recipe and its separated recipes on the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in rats with alcoholic liver injury].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of Qinggan Huoxue Recipe (QGHXR), the compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and its separated recipes on the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA and serum TNF-alpha content in rats with alcoholic liver injury (ALI).


METHODS
One hundred male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n=10), carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) group (n=10) and ALI group (n=80). Rats in the ALI group were intragastrically administered mixed liquor twice a day and intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 twice a week for 6 weeks, rats in the normal control group were intragastrically administered normal saline, and rats in the CCl4 group were intraperitoneally injected with CCl4 and olive oil twice a week continuously. Two rats in the ALI group were sacrificed for histological observation per week. After 4-week modeling, the rats in the ALI group were randomly divided into QGHXR group, Qinggan Recipe (QGR) group, Huoxue Recipe (HXR) group (15 rats in each group), and the others belonged to the untreated group. After 2-week suitable drugs treatment, the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were analyzed. Pathological changes in liver tissues were observed by HE staining. The content of plasma TNF-alpha was assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and expression of TNF-alpha mRNA in the liver tissue was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).


RESULTS
QGHXR and its separated recipes improved liver steatosis and inflammation, and in this regard, the QGHXR was superior to the QGR. QGHXR decreased the activity of serum ALT in rats with ALI, but QGR and HXR did not show significant effect in that. The three recipes decreased the activity of AST as compared with the untreated group, but there were no significant differences among the three treated groups. HXR and QGHXR down-regulated the expression of TNF-alpha mRNA in the liver tissue, but QGR did not show significant effect. HXR and QGHXR also decreased the content of plasma TNF-alpha, but QGR did not show significant effect in that.


CONCLUSIONS
QGHXR and HXR may provide protection against ALI in rats through decreasing the production of TNF-alpha.
Wu
Tao
T
Institute of Gastroenterology, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China.
Liu
Tao
T
Zheng
Pei-yong
PY
Xing
Lian-jun
LJ
Ji
Guang
G
D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C527179:qinggan huoxue