Taohe Chengqi Tang ameliorates acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride in rats.
OBJECTIVE
To clarify the efficacy of Taohe Chengqi Tang (THCQT), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, in protecting liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) in rats.


METHODS
Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into normal control group, untreated group, low-dose THCQT group (receiving 0.3 g/kg of THCQT), high-dose THCQT group (receiving 0.5 g/kg of THCQT), and positive control group (receiving silymarin 25 mg/kg). All testing substances were orally administered 1 hour before the intraperitoneal injection of CCl(4) (1.5 mL/kg). Twenty-four hours after CCl(4) injection, the rats were sacrificed to observe liver histopathological changes, and to evaluate activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione (GSH) levels in liver tissues.


RESULTS
CCl(4) injection elevated the serum AST and ALT activities, but THCQT significantly reversed this effect. The increase of hepatic LPO by CCl(4) was markedly reduced by THCQT. Also, this herbal mixture increased hepatic GSH in the rats. In histopathology analysis, THCQT decreased the fatty accumulation, necrosis and lymphocyte infiltration. The in vitro study in rat brain showed that LPO induced by Fe(2+)/ascorbic acid was dose-dependently reduced by THCQT. According to the biochemical and morphological data, THCQT could protect the liver from CCl(4-)induced injuries.


CONCLUSIONS
THCQT seems helpful for protection of liver damage induced by chemicals depending on its anti-oxidant-like function, and THCQT is more effective than silymarin.
Lai
Tung-yuan
TY
School of Post-Baccalaureate Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan, China.
Weng
Yi-jiun
YJ
Kuo
Wei-wen
WW
Chen
Li-mien
LM
Chung
Yun-ting
YT
Lin
Yueh-min
YM
Tsai
Fuu-jen
FJ
Lee
Chun-hsin
CH
Choong
Yee-mun
YM
Lai
Eric Y C
EY
Huang
Chih-yang
CY
Yeh
Yu-lan
YL
D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride