title: Hepatoprotective activity of puerarin against carbon tetrachloride-induced injuries in rats: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: The protective effects of puerarin on liver damage were evaluated by carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Male rats were orally treated with puerarin daily, and received CCl₄ intraperitoneally twice a week for 4 weeks. Our results showed that puerarin at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg b. w. significantly reduced the elevated activities of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase at least 15%, 17%, 14% and 18%, respectively. In addition, puerarin at different doses significantly decreased (p<0.05) the level of hepatic thiobarbituric acid reactive substances compared to the CCl₄-treated group. Furthermore, the treatment of puerarin was also found to significantly increase the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione-S-transferase, and glutathione content at least 40%, 12%, 25%, 52%, 17% and 44% in the liver of CCl₄-treated rats, respectively. Liver histopathology also showed that puerarin reduced the incidence of liver lesions induced by CCl₄. The results suggest that puerarin exhibits potent hepatoprotective effects on CCl₄-induced liver damages in rats, and that the hepatoprotective effects of puerarin may be due to both the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and to increase of antioxidant enzymes activity.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, Zhejiang Province, China. xdz_zjtcm@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Dao-Zong
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Pei-Hua
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Wei-Fu
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Meng-Ting
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ju
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D002252:Carbon Tetrachloride Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers; D007529:Isoflavones; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D005978:Glutathione; C033607:puerarin
keywords: ALP; ALT; AST; Antioxidant; CAT; Carbon tetrachloride; GPx; GR; GSH; GST; Hepatoprotection; Hepatotoxicity; LDH; Puerarin; SOD; TBARS; alanine aminotransferase; alkaline phosphatase; aspartate aminotransferase; catalase; glutathione; glutathione peroxidase; glutathione reductase; glutathione-S-transferase; lactate dehydrogenase; superoxide dismutase; thiobarbituric acid reactive substances