%A Tung-yuan Lai, Yi-jiun Weng, Wei-wen Kuo, Li-mien Chen, Yun-ting Chung, Yueh-min Lin, Fuu-jen Tsai, Chun-hsin Lee, Yee-mun Choong, Eric Y. C Lai, Chih-yang Huang, Yu-lan Yeh %T Taohe Chengqi Tang ameliorates acute liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride in rats %0 Journal Article %D 2010 %J Journal of Integrative Medicine %R 10.3736/jcim20100110 %P 49-55 %V 8 %N 1 %U {http://www.jcimjournal.com/CN/abstract/article_1630.shtml} %8 2010-01-20 %X

Objective

To clarify the efficacy of Taohe Chengqi Tang (THCQT), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, in protecting liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in rats.
Methods

Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into normal control group, untreated group, low-dose THCQT group (receiving 0.3 g/kg of THCQT), high-dose THCQT group (receiving 0.5 g/kg of THCQT), and positive control group (receiving silymarin 25 mg/kg). All testing substances were orally administered 1 hour before the intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 (1.5 mL/kg). Twenty-four hours after CCl4 injection, the rats were sacrificed to observe liver histopathological changes, and to evaluate activities of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione (GSH) levels in liver tissues.
Results

CCl4 injection elevated the serum AST and ALT activities, but THCQT significantly reversed this effect. The increase of hepatic LPO by CCl4 was markedly reduced by THCQT. Also, this herbal mixture increased hepatic GSH in the rats. In histopathology analysis, THCQT decreased the fatty accumulation, necrosis and lymphocyte infiltration. The in vitro study in rat brain showed that LPO induced by Fe 2+/ascorbic acid was dose-dependently reduced by THCQT. According to the biochemical and morphological data, THCQT could protect the liver from CCl4-induced injuries.
Conclusion

THCQT seems helpful for protection of liver damage induced by chemicals depending on its anti-oxidant-like function, and THCQT is more effective than silymarin.