title: [Protective effect of Acai berries on chronic alcoholic hepatic injury in rats and their effect on inflammatory cytokines].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the protective effect of Acai berries(Euterpe oleraceae) on chronic alcoholic hepatic injury in rats and their mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Wistar rats were fed for 1 week and randomly divided into blank group, model group, Dongbao Gantai group, Acai 1.6, 0.8, 0.4 g . kg-1 groups. The blank group was given distilled water, and the other groups were orally given 56% white spirit (Erguotou) for eight weeks at the dosages of 8 mL . kg-1 in the 1st week, which increased by 0.1 mL week by week till to 15 mL . kg-1, in order to establish the chronic hepatic injury model, and observe the effect of Acai berry freeze-dried powder on hepatocyte membrane permeability, liver lipid peroxidation, changes in inflammatory cytokines and pathological changes in hepatocytes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acai berries could significantly reduce serum ALT and AST(P<0.05), MDA(P<0.05), TG(P<0.05) and serum TNF-α and IL-6(P <0.05) and increase GSH and SOD(P <0.05). According to liver histopathological observation, livers in the model group were dominated by steatosis, some livers suffered spotty necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration; The positive drug and Acai groups showed different changes in pathologic changes in rat livers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Acai berries show s specific protective effect on alcoholic hepatic injury. Its mechanism may be correlated with the inhibition of such inflammatory factors as TNF-α and IL-6.
authors.forename: Sheng-sheng
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Jian-jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yan-xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Ying-li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Lin-yuan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D065748:Euterpe / Q000737:chemistry*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014280:Triglycerides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase