This experiment evaluated Panduratin A (PA), a chalcone isolated from Boesenbergia rotunda rhizomes, for its hepatoprotectivity. Rats were subjected to liver damage induced by intra-peritoneal injection of thioacetamide (TAA). PA was tested first for its acute toxicity and then administered by oral gavage at doses 5, 10, and 50 mg/kg to rats. At the end of the 8th week, livers from all rats were excised and evaluated ex vivo. Measurements included alkaline phosphatase (AP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), serum platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), and hepatic metalloproteinase enzyme (MMP-2) and its inhibitor extracellular matrix protein (TIMP-1). Oxidative stress was measured by liver malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrotyrosine levels, urinary 8-hydroxy 2- deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), and hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities. The immunohistochemistry of TGF-β1 was additionally performed. PA revealed safe dose of 250 mg/kg on experimental rats and positive effect on the liver. The results suggested reduced hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activity as verified from the attenuation of serum PDGF and TGF-β1, hepatic MMP-2 and TIMP-1, and oxidative stress. The extensive data altogether conclude that PA treatment could protect the liver from the progression of cirrhosis through a possible mechanism inhibiting HSCs activity.
Zingiber officinale is a traditional medicine against various disorders including liver diseases.The aim of this study was to assess the hepatoprotective activity of the ethanolic extract of rhizomes of Z. officinale (ERZO) against thioacetamide-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Five groups of male Sprague Dawley have been used. In group 1 rats received intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of normal saline while groups 2-5 received thioacetamide (TAA, 200 mg/kg; i.p.) for induction of liver cirrhosis, thrice weekly for eight weeks. Group 3 received 50 mg/kg of silymarin. The rats in groups 4 and 5 received 250 and 500 mg/kg of ERZO (dissolved in 10% Tween), respectively. Hepatic damage was assessed grossly and microscopically for all of the groups. Results confirmed the induction of liver cirrhosis in group 2 whilst administration of silymarin or ERZO significantly reduced the impact of thioacetamide toxicity. These groups decreased fibrosis of the liver tissues. Immunohistochemistry assessment against proliferating cell nuclear antigen did not show remarkable proliferation in the ERZO-treated rats when compared with group 2. Moreover, factions of the ERZO extract were tested on Hep-G2 cells and showed antiproliferative activity (IC50 38-60 μ g/mL). This study showed hepatoprotective effect of ERZO.
Hepatology research has focused on developing traditional therapies as pharmacological medicines to treat liver cirrhosis. Thus, this study evaluated mechanisms of the hepatoprotective activity of Curcuma longa rhizome ethanolic extract (CLRE) on thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis in rats.