Liver fibrosis in mice treated with Yue-Ju-Bao-He pills

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect and antioxidant mechanism of Yue-Ju-Bao-He pills (YJBH) on liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride in mice. Methods: Thirty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into cntrol group, model group, and YJBH group. The control group received 0.2 mL olive oil intraperitoneally injected twice per week for six weeks. Four weeks after injection, the control group received oral treatment of 0.2 mL normal saline once per day for three weeks. The model and YJBH groups received 20% carbon tetrachloride olive oil solution (2 mL/kg) intraperitoneal injections twice per week for 6 weeks to induce liver fibrosis. After 4 weeks of carbon tetrachloride injections, the model and YJBH groups received oral treatment of either 0.2 mL normal saline or YJBH (0.9 mg/kg) once per day for 3 weeks, respectively. After three weeks of treatment, liver sections from mice were used for hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson’s Trichrome staining to observe the status of the liver tissue. The therapeutic effect of YJBH on liver fibrosis was studied by determining alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase and pathological changes in livers. Determining the malondialdehydelevel, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activities in liver homogenates were done to observe antioxidant mechanisms. Results: Compared with the control group, the body weight of mice in the model group decreased significantly and the liver index increased. After YJBH treatment, the body weight of mice increased and the liver index decreased compared with the model group. In addition, liver function indexes aspartate aminotransferase and alanine transaminase were significantly improved. The level of malondialdehyde in liver tissue was significantly decreased, and the expression of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were increased. The pathological examination showed that liver cell injury of YJBH group was significantly reduced by the infiltration of inflammatory cells into collagen fibers. Conclusion: YJBH can effectively delay the progress of liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride, and the mechanism may be related to oxidative stress.