title: Compound Pollen Protein Nutrient Increases Serum Albumin in Cirrhotic Rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Malnutrition, especially protein-calorie malnutrition, is common in patients with liver cirrhosis. When in the status of malnutrition, the complications increase, liver function deteriorates, and the prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis worsens. Hence, nutritional support and treatment is essential in patients with liver cirrhosis. Previous studies suggested that compound nutrition based on pollen can improve liver function, and can be a basic nutrient for patients with liver cirrhosis. However, the nutritional support based on pollen for malnutrition of cirrhotic patients needs to be further evaluated. In this study, we investigated the nutritional support of Noveliver, a new compound pollen protein nutrient, in the cirrhotic rats induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4).
  
  
  METHODS
  The cirrhotic rats induced by CCl4were treated with Noveliver in different doses, and treated with a regular compound pollen nutrient, untreated cirrhotic rats and normal rats were used as controls. Serum albumin were measured before and after the nutritional treatment in each group. At the same time, liver function, cytokines and pathological changes were also determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the second week of nutritional treatment, the levels of serum albumin in normal control group, low dose noveliver group, high dose noveliver group, compound protein pollen group and spontaneous recovery group were 35.67 ± 1.42, 33.07 ± 1.27, 32.27 ± 1.50, 30.53 ± 0.25, 24.53 ± 3.56 (g/L), respectively, the differences among the groups were significant (F = 14.007,P= 0.000); The levels of serum albumin in low dose Noveliver group, high dose Noveliver group and the compound protein pollen group were higher than that in the spontaneous recovery group (P= 0.000, 0.001, 0.003, respectively). In the second week of nutritional treatment, the serum levels of HGF in normal control group, low dose Noveliver group, high dose Noveliver group, compound protein pollen group and spontaneous recovery group were 101.55 ± 0.87, 94.62 ± 8.80, 98.94 ± 3.68, 78.77 ± 21.79, 39.52 ± 14.03 (pg/ml), respectively, the differences among the groups were significant (F = 11.12,P= 0.002); the levels of HGF in low dose Noveliver group, high dose Noveliver group and the compound protein pollen group were higher than that in spontaneous recovery group (P= 0.001, 0.000, 0.005). Histological results showed that the fibrosis in spontaneous recovery group was severer than those in low dose Noveliver group, high dose Noveliver group and compound protein pollen group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show that the both the Noveliver and the compound pollen protein nutrient increase the serum albumin and ameliorate malnutrition in cirrhotic rats; the recovery of serum albumin might be related to the hepatic damage repair and liver regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Municipal Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Hong Bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Beijing Municipal Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Beijing Municipal Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Gong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Beijing Municipal Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Beijing Municipal Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Hong Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Beijing Municipal Institute of Liver Diseases, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Frank G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Rowan
keywords: Albumin; Compound Pollen Protein; Liver cirrhosis; Liver regeneration; Noveliver; Nutrition treatment; Rat