title: Effect of a herbal medicine on fatty liver in rats fed ethanol chronically.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine whether Cardiotopic Pills (CP) affects fatty liver in rats fed ethanol chronically.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were treated with liquid diet that contained ethanol (36% of total calories) or an isocaloric carbohydrate instead of ethanol for 6 weeks. CP, an oral herbal medicine including Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhiza), Panax notoginseny and Dyroblanops aromatica gaertn, have been clinically used for vascular diseases such as coronary diseases and cerebral infarction. CP was administered orally with the liquid diets for 2 weeks 0.4 mg/kg body weight/day with the liquid diet thereafter. Serum triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, total protein, albumin, and AST and ALT activities are measured. Histological examination was also carried out. In another set of experiments, autofluorescence of NAD(P)H, an indicator of mitochondrial O2 consumption and redox status, was measured by an intravital microscopy, and peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-(PPAR)-alpha and gamma mRNA levels were evaluated by real time quantitative PCR methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chronic ethanol consumption elevated serum triglyceride level, and caused fatty degeneration of liver. After administration of CP, fatty degeneration was not observed in rats fed ethanol chronically. Elevation of serum triglyceride level was not noted after treatment with CP (Ethanol: 79.4 +/- 9.3 mg/dl, Ethanol+CP: 48.0 +/- 4.4, respectively, p<0.05). CP did not affect any other laboratory data or NAD(P)H levels. Chronic ethanol consumption did not affect PPAR-gamma mRNA levels, while it decreased PPAR-alpha mRNA levels in the liver. CP prevented the ethanol-induced decrease in PPAR-alpha mRNA levels. CP and its components could enhance expression of PPAR-alpha mRNA levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that CP may be useful to prevent alcoholic fatty liver via enhanced expression of PPAR-alpha.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Rumiko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Hirotoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ebinuma
authors.forename: Hidetsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Shinzo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Hiromasa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Toshifumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hibi
authors.forename: Jing-Yan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005235:Fatty Liver, Alcoholic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009249:NADP / Q000378:metabolism; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D047493:PPAR alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D053723:Panax notoginseng; D008517:Phytotherapy; D028321:Plant Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D027561:Salvia miltiorrhiza; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D047493:PPAR alpha; D028321:Plant Preparations; D014280:Triglycerides; D000431:Ethanol; D009249:NADP; D002784:Cholesterol