title: Protective effects of the herbal medicine goshajinkigan in a rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
abstract: This study was designed to investigate the effect of an herbal medicine-goshajinkigan (GJ)-on the regulation of total body weight, as well as liver and adipose tissue weights in rats fed a highfat diet (HFD) and drinking of 30% sucrose (HFDS) (HFD; the rats received 19.6% energy from carbohydrates, 18.2% from proteins, and 62.2% from lipids; total energy, 506 kcal/100 g). Control rats were fed a standard diet (the rats received 60.5% energy from carbohydrates, 26.2% from proteins, and 13.3% from lipids; total energy, 360 kcal/100 g). Over a period of 12 weeks, rats were allowed free access to either the standard diet or HFDS containing 0, 1, or 3% GJ. In comparison with the control group, the HFDS rats showed a significant decrease in overall body weight and adipose tissue weight, and an increase in liver weight at 12 weeks. GJ treatment significantly reversed the HFDS-induced decrease in body and adipose tissue weight and reduced the elevated liver weight dose-dependently. Similarly, GJ reduced the elevated serum aspartate aminotransferase levels observed in HFDS rats. These results suggest that GJ may have the potential to alleviate damage to the liver in subjects with long-term consumption of HFDS.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Pharmaceutics, Osaka Ohatani University, Nishikiorikita, Tondabayashi Osaka, Japan. hirotay@osaka-ohtani.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirotani
authors.forename: Ayae
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Hanako
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Umezawa
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Urashima
authors.forename: Mitiaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Myotoku
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C119642:gosha-jinki-gan