title: Ginseng, green tea or fibrate: valid options for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis prevention?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Panax ginseng, Camellia sinensis and bezafibrate were compared for their lipid-lowering, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as potential agents to prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and its progression to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty Wistar rats were randomized into five groups: G1 (feed with standard diet); G2 (feed with high-fat diet with 58% of energy from fat); G3 (high-fat diet + standardized Panax ginseng extract at 100 mg/kg/day); G4 (high-fat diet + standardized Camellia sinensis extract at 100 mg/kg/day); and G5 (high-fat diet + bezafibrate at 100 mg/kg/day), given by gavage. The animals were sacrificed eight weeks later and blood was collected for glucose, insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides, AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase and gamma-glutamyl transferase determinations. The score system for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease was used to analyse the liver samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High-fat diet resulted in a significant increase in animal body weight, biochemical changes and enzymatic elevations. Steatosis, inflammation and hepatocellular ballooning scores were significant high in this group. The biochemical and histological variables were statistically similar in the bezafibrate group and control group. Treatment with Panax ginseng extract prevented obesity and histological features of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (steatosis and inflammation) compared to high-fat diet. Camellia sinensis showed a less effective biochemical response, with small reduction in steatosis and inflammation but lower ballooning scores.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Interna, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brasil.
authors.forename: Mônica Souza de
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Miranda-Henriques
authors.affiliation: Programa Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos Bioativos, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brasil.
authors.forename: Margareth de Fátima Formiga de Melo
authors.initials: Mde F
authors.lastname: Diniz
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Teste de Drogas, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Salete Trigueiro de
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Araújo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D058607:Fibric Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005894:Panax / Q000737:chemistry*; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D011897:Random Allocation; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D058607:Fibric Acids; D013662:Tea