title: Hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects of Myelophil on restraint stress-induced liver injury in BALB/c mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Myelophil, an ethanol extract of Astragali Radix and Salviae Radix, has been used for patients with chronic fatigue-associated disorders in traditional Oriental clinics.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacologic effects of Myelophil using a restraint stress-induced liver injury model and to explore the mechanisms underlying these effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Distilled water or Myelophil (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, or 200 mg/kg) was orally administered to 6-week-old BALB/c male mice once daily for 5 day. The mice were subjected to restraint stress for 6h, and serum levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases (AST and ALT, respectively), total reactive oxygen species, and total antioxidant capacity were determined. Hepatic tissue levels of lipid peroxidation, antioxidant activity (as represented by superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione reductase activity), and interleukin-1 were also measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Restraint stress induced severe oxidative stress and hepatic injury, as evidenced by marked elevation of serum ALT and AST levels, increased levels of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation activity, and depletion of antioxidant enzyme activities. Myelophil pretreatment significantly attenuated not only the elevation of serum ALT and AST but also the increase in reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. It also restored a significant fraction of the catalase, glutathione reductase, and peroxidase activity in liver tissues. Myelophil pretreatment also partially normalized the levels of interleukin-1β gene and protein expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that Myelophil has potent protective effects against restraint stress-induced liver injury via antioxidant activities, and have relevance to the clinical applications of Myelophil in field of traditional herbal medicine.
authors.affiliation: Liver & Immunology Research Center, Daejeon Oriental Hospital of Oriental Medical Collage of Daejeon University, 22-5 Daehung-dong, Jung-gu, Daejeon 301-724, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyeong Geug
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jong Suk
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jong Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Chang Gue
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Son
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000009:adverse effects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; C530779:Myelophil; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D005978:Glutathione