ANTIFIBROTIC EFFECTS OF A POLYSACCHARIDE EXTRACTED FROM GANODERMA-LUCIDUM, GLYCYRRHIZIN, AND PENTOXIFYLLINE IN RATS WITH CIRRHOSIS INDUCED BY BILIARY OBSTRUCTION

For the past few years, we have been investigating polysaccharides fro m Ganoderma lucidum as antifibrotic agents. In a previous study, we di scovered that polysaccharides extracted from G. lucidum lowered the co llagen content in liver but had no effect on serum biochemical paramet ers in rats subjected to bile duct ligation and scission-induced fibro sis. In this study, we changed the extraction method and obtained poly saccharides extracted from G. lucidum. The polysaccharide from G. luci dum reduced the serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transamina se (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin and also redu ced the collagen content in liver and improved the morphology. Pentoxi fylline, which is reported to exhibit an antifibrotic effect in pigs w ith fibrosis induced by yellow phosphorus, did not have any antifibrot ic effects in fibrosis induced by biliary obstruction. Glycyrrhizin, w hich is used in the treatment of hepatitis, reduced serum ALT and AST values but there was no significance. It had no effect on liver hydrox yproline content,which implies that glycyrrhizin has no antifibrotic e ffect in the rats with fibrosis induced by bile duct ligation and scis sion. These data suggest that the polysaccharide from Ganoderma lucidu m could be a promising antifibrotic agent. However, further study is n eeded to understand the inhibition mechanism of collagen deposition of polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum and its clinical applicability remains to be established.