title: Hot water extracted Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa inhibit liver inflammation and fibrosis in rats.
abstract: Polysaccharide-rich Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa have been considered to have immune-modulating activity. This study investigated the effects of water extracted Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa (HE) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced liver injury in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into: normal diet + peritoneal injection of olive oil (control), normal diet + CCl(4) injection (CCl(4)), 1 × HE (0.05% HE for each) + CCl(4) (1 × HE), and 3 × HE (0.15% HE for each) + CCl(4) (3 × HE) groups. Rats were injected with 40% CCl(4) at a dose of 0.75 ml/kg body weight once a week for seven weeks, one week after herbal extract treatment. After eight week herbal extract treatment, pathohistological examination showed that both 1× and 3 × HE treatments diminished necrotic hepatocytes, chemoattraction of inflammatory cells, and liver fibrosis. Both 1× and 3 × HE treatments decreased plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities, and reduced hepatic levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines - tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β - compared to CCl(4) treatment alone. The 1 × HE treatment increased hepatic anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 levels. Both the 1× and 3 × HE treatments suppressed liver fibrosis biomarkers - transforming growth factor-β1 and hydroxyproline. Therefore, treatment with water extracted Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa (0.05% and 0.15% for each) for eight weeks protects against necrotic damage, indicated by decreases in plasma ALT and AST activities, and suppresses liver fibrosis by down-regulation of liver inflammation in rats with CCl(4)-induced liver injury.
authors.affiliation: School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Po-Shan
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Shu-Ju
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ya-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Yun-Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jane C-J
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D005355:Fibrosis; D006801:Humans; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000276:immunology; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000276:immunology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology*; D032305:Lycium / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D032267:Rehmannia / Q000737:chemistry*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride