PREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF SAPONINS FROM PUERARIAE RADIX (THE ROOT OF PUERARIA-LOBATA OHWI) ON IN-VITRO IMMUNOLOGICAL INJURY OF RAT PRIMARY HEPATOCYTE CULTURES

The preventive effects of saponins from Puerariae Radix toward in vitr o immunological liver injury using an antiserum against the rat lives plasma membranes on primary cultured rat hepatocytes were studied, Cru de saponin from Puerariae Radix inhibited the elevation of alanine ami notransferase (ALT) activity at the dose of 90 mu g/ml. The inhibition was stronger than that of glycyrrhizin, which was a positive control drug, The representative saponins in this drug, soyasaponin I and kudz usaponin SA(3), were also more effective than glycyrrhizin, although t heir effects were wearer shan that of crude saponin at the lower doses (90, 200 mu g/ml). At 500 mu g/ml, kudzusaponin SA, shelved antihepat otoxic activity equal to that of crude saponin.