title: [Effect and mechanism of ginsenoside Rg1 as an alcoholic hepatitis treatment in a rat model].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effect of Rgl treatment on prognosis of alcoholic hepatitis using a rat model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female Sprague-Dawley rats were radomly divided into four groups:unmodeled control, untreated model, Rgl-treated model, and dexamethasone (DXM)-treated model. The model groups were generated by intragastric injection of alcohol. The unmodeled control group was given an equal dosage of normal saline by the same route. After model establishment, the Rg1 treatment group and the DXM treatment group were administered a 120-hour treatment of Rgl or DXM; the unmodeled controls were administered normal saline on the same schedule. All rats were then fasted for 120 hours and venous blood samples were collected for detection of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBil), albumin (Alb), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFat) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Markers of liver inflammation were measured by immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Fat and apoptosis indices were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and TUNEL assay, respectively. The t-test and F test were used for statistical analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The model group showed remarkably more liver steatosis (over one-third of the tissue) than the unmodeled control group, indicating proper establishment of alcoholic liver disease in the modeled rats. The AST, ALT, TBil, and IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the untreated model group than in the Rgl-treated group and the DXM-treated group. The values were significantly different between the Rg1-treated group and the DXM-treated group:ALT, 69.19+/-8.00 U/L vs.102.88+/-5.16 U/L; TBil, 0.36+/-0.07 µmol/L vs.1.20+/-0.18 µmol/L; IL-6, 126.50+/-6.50 U/ml vs.169.19+/-7.68 U/ml; TNFa, 268.31+/-13.19 µg/L vs.318.94+/-7.87 µg/L (all P less than 0.05). Expression of caspase3 and caspase8 was significantly higher in the model group than in the Rgltreated group and the DXM-treated group (both P<0.05). The apoptosis index was significantly lower in the Rgltreated group and the DXM-treated group than in the model group (both P<0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of caspase3, caspase8 and NF-kB were significantly lower in the Rgl-treated group and the DXM-treated group than in the model group (allP less than 0.05), and the levels of all were significantly lower in the Rgl-treated group cornered to the DXM-treated group (all P<0.05). Conehision In rats with alcoholic hepatitis, Rg1 can significantly relieve pathological injury, improve liver function by blocking the apoptotic pathway, and inhibit release of inflammatory cytokines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Wenxiang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiaojuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Jinqiu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Zhengyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Chengwei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D001663:Bilirubin; D016207:Cytokines; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol; D005260:Female; D036145:Ginsenosides; D006519:Hepatitis, Alcoholic; D016328:NF-kappa B; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D036145:Ginsenosides; D016328:NF-kappa B; D000431:Ethanol; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; C035054:ginsenoside Rg1; D001663:Bilirubin