Anti-oxidant and natural killer cell activity of Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng) and urushiol (Rhus vernicifera Stokes) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease of rat.
Anti-oxidative and immunologic effects of the Korea red ginseng (KRG; Panax ginseng) and urushiol (Rhus vernicifera Stokes) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were evaluated. Forty-five rats (five Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka and 40 Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty [OLETF] rats) received chew diets for 10months; after this period. The OLETF rats were divided into the following four groups according to diet for 2months: NAFLD (chew), KRG (chew+KRG [200mg/kg/day]), urushiol (chew+urushiol [0.5mg/kg/day]), and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) (chew+UDCA [15mg/kg/day]) groups. Liver function, lipid profiles and anti-oxidant activity of liver and serum, natural killer (NK) cell activity, and pathology were compared. In KRG and urushiol groups, the level of serum triglyceride ([302.0±70.4 and 275.2±63.8] vs. 527.7±153.3mg/dL) were lower compared with that of NAFLD group (p<0.05). The levels of HDL-cholesterol (liver tissue: [4.8±0.2 and 4.8±0.5] vs. 4.2±0.2mg/g) and NK cell activity ([3485±910 and 3559±910] vs. 2486±619 counts) were significantly higher than those of the NAFLD group (p<0.001). Inflammation with neutrophil infiltration was observed in only two rats in the NAFLD group. These results suggest that 2months of oral KRG or urushiol administration improves lipid profiles and stimulates NK cell activity, while inhibiting steatohepatitis in OLEFT rats.
Department of Molecular Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, South Korea.
So Hyung
SH
Hong
Ki Tae
KT
Suk
Sang Hyeon
SH
Choi
Jung Wook
JW
Lee
Ho Taik
HT
Sung
Chang Hoon
CH
Kim
Eun Ji
EJ
Kim
Myoung Jo
MJ
Kim
Sang Hak
SH
Han
Moon Young
MY
Kim
Soon Koo
SK
Baik
Dong Joon
DJ
Kim
Gyoung-Ja
GJ
Lee
Sang-Kyu
SK
Lee
Seung Ha
SH
Park
Ohk Hyun
OH
Ryu
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002396:Catechols / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000628:therapy*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans
D000975:Antioxidants; D002396:Catechols; C003747:urushiol