Hot Water Extracted Lycium Barbarum and Rehmannia Glutinosa Inhibit Liver Inflammation and Fibrosis in Rats

摘要

Polysaccharide-rich Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa have beennconsidered to have immune-modulating activity. This study investigated the effects ofnwater extracted Lycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa (HE) on carbon tetrachloriden(CCl4)-induced liver injury in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into:nnormal diet t peritoneal injection of olive oil (control), normal diet t CCl4 injection (CCl4),n1 u0001 HE (0.05% HE for eachT t CCl4 (1 u0001 HE), and 3 u0001 HE (0.15% HE for eachT t CCl4n(3 u0001 HE) groups. Rats were injected with 40% CCl4 at a dose of 0.75 ml/kg body weightnonce a week for seven weeks, one week after herbal extract treatment. After eight weeknherbal extract treatment, pathohistological examination showed that both 1u0001 and 3 u0001 HEntreatments diminished necrotic hepatocytes, chemoattraction of inflammatory cells, and livernfibrosis. Both 1u0001 and 3 u0001 HE treatments decreased plasma alanine aminotransferasen(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities, and reduced hepatic levels of proinflammatoryncytokines — tumor necrosis factor-u0001 and interleukin-1β — compared to CCl4ntreatment alone. The 1 u0001 HE treatment increased hepatic anti-inflammatory cytokinenIL-10 levels. Both the 1u0001 and 3 u0001 HE treatments suppressed liver fibrosis biomarkers —ntransforming growth factor-β1 and hydroxyproline. Therefore, treatment with water extractednCorrespondence to: Dr. Jane C.-J. Chao, School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, College of Public Health andnNutrition, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei 110, Taiwan. Tel: (t886) 2-2736-1661 (ext.n6548), Fax: (t886) 2-2737-3112, E-mail: chenjui@tmu.edu.twnThe American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 39, No. 6, 1173–1191n© 2011 World Scientific Publishing CompanynInstitute for Advanced Research in Asian Science and MedicinenDOI: 10.1142/S0192415X11009482n1173nLycium barbarum and Rehmannia glutinosa (0.05% and 0.15% for each) for eight weeksnprotects against necrotic damage, indicated by decreases in plasma ALT and AST activities,nand suppresses liver fibrosis by down-regulation of liver inflammation in rats withnCCl4-induced liver injury.