THE EFFECT OF CHINESE HEPATOPROTECTIVE MEDICINES ON EXPERIMENTAL LIVER-INJURY IN MICE

The purpose of this study was to compare the hepatoprotective effects of seven Chinese herbal compounds/mixtures on four known hepatotoxican ts in mice. These compounds include fulvotomentosides, oleanolic acid, total saponins of Panax japonicus (Jgs), total saponins of Panax noto ginseng (Ngs), sweroside, oxymatrine, and dimethyl dicarboxylate biphe nyl (DDB). All have previously been reported to exhibit hepatoprotecti ve effects. Acute liver injury was produced in male CF-1 mice by CCl4, acetaminophen, cadmium chloride and allyl alcohol. Liver damage was a ssessed by quantifying serum activities of sorbitol dehydrogenase and alanine aminotransferase, as well as by histopathological examination. Fulvomentosides markedly decreased the toxicity produced by all four hepatotoxicants; oleanic acid also remarkably decreased acetaminophen, CCl4 and Cd-induced hepatotoxicity, but had no effect on allyl alcoho l; total saponins of Panax japonicus and Panax notoginseng had moderat e hepatoprotective effects on these models except that total saponins of Panax japonicus markedly decreased allyl alcohol toxicity; swerosid e decreased Cd and CCl4 toxicity but had no effect on the other two he patotoxicants; oxymatrine only decreased allyl alcohol toxicity; where as DDB did not protect against any of the hepatotoxicants. The mechani sm(s) by which these compounds/mixtures protect against different type s of hepatotoxicants requires further investigation. In conclusion, of the seven compounds examined, fulvotomentoside and oleanolic acid app ear to be the most effective in protecting against chemical-induced li ver injury.