title: Relationship between anti-fibrotic effect of Panax notoginseng saponins and serum cytokines in rat hepatic fibrosis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between anti-fibrotic effect of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) and serum cytokines in rat hepatic fibrosis. Hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) was studied in animal models using SD rats. Liver index, serum alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured, respectively. Liver index and the degree of liver fibrosis were also determined. Our results showed that the levels of ALT, AST and liver index in PNS-treated group were markedly lower than those in model group. PNS therapy also significantly attenuated the degree of hepatic fibrosis, collagen area and collagen area percent in liver tissue. Furthermore, the levels of serum TGF-beta1, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were strikingly reduced in PNS-treated group compared with model group while the production of IL-10 was up-regulated. These findings demonstrate that PNS has certain therapeutic effects on hepatic fibrosis probably by immunoregulating the imbalance between pro-fibrotic and anti-fibrotic cytokines.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Li-li
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Chang-quan
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Chun-mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Li-juan
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D053723:Panax notoginseng / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012503:Saponins / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D012503:Saponins; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride