title: Immunomodulation and liver protection of Yinchenhao decoction against concanavalin A-induced chronic liver injury in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the immunoregulatory and protective roles of Yinchenhao decoction, a compound of Chinese herbal medicine, in a mouse model of concanavalin A (ConA)-induced chronic liver injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female BalB/c mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: normal control, ConA model, ConA model treated with Yinchenhao decoction (400 mg/kg, orally), and ConA model treated with dexamethasone (0.5 mg/kg, orally). All treatments were given once a day for 28 d. Except of the normal control, mice received tail vein injection of ConA (10 mg/kg) on days 7, 14, 21, and 28, at 1 h after treatment with Yinchenhao decoction or dexamethasone or saline to induce chronic liver injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Repeated ConA injection induced chronic liver injury, which was evidenced by inflammatory cell infiltration and necrosis, increased serum alanine aminotranferease activities, decreased albumin levels, and an imbalanced expression of immunoregulatory genes in the liver tissues including significantly enhanced interferon-γ, interleukin-4, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and cluster of differentiation 163 mRNA levels, and reduced tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 mRNA levels. Treatment with Yinchenhao decoction significantly reversed the ConA-induced changes in immunoregulatory gene expression in the liver tissues, reduced serum alanine aminotranferease activity, enhanced serum albumin level, and attenuated the extent of liver inflammation and necrosis. Furthermore, Yinchenhao decoction did not result in hepatocyte degeneration and spleen weight loss that were observed in mice received long-term treatment with dexamethasone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Yinchenhao decoction treatment protected liver against the ConA-induced chronic liver damage and improved liver function, which were associated with the modulation of gene expression related to immune/inflammatory response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Liver Cirrhosis, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Shi-li
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
authors.forename: Xu-dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: E-institute of Shanghai Municipal Education Committee, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China; liuliver@vip.sina.com.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D056487:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury, Chronic / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000633:toxicity; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D056747:Immunomodulation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C579121:yinchenhao; D003208:Concanavalin A