Effect of schisandrin B and sesamin mixture on CCl 4 ‐induced hepatic oxidative stress in rats

To study the effects of schisandrin B and sesamin mixture on carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )‐induced hepatic oxidative stress in male Sprague‐Dawley rats. The rats were randomly assigned to five groups: control group (olive oil injection), CCl 4 group (CCl 4 injection), silymarin group (CCl 4 injection combined with supplementation of silymarin, 7.5 mg/kg/day), low dose group (CCl 4 injection combined with supplementation of schisandrin B and sesamin mixture at a low dose, 43 mg/kg/day) and high dose group (CCl 4 injection combined with the supplementation of schisandrin B and sesamin mixture at a high dose, 215 mg/kg/day). The hepatic superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities of rats in the low dose and high dose groups were increased significantly compared with those in the CCl 4 group. The hepatic reduced glutathione concentration in the silymarin, low dose and high dose groups were increased significantly (48%, 45% and 53%, respectively) when compared with those of the CCl 4 group. In addition, the concentration of glutathione in the erythrocytes of the low dose group was significantly higher than the CCl 4 group by 25%. These results suggest that the schisandrin B–sesamin mixture exerted a hepatoprotective effect by improving the antioxidative capacity in rats under CCl 4 ‐induced hepatic oxidative stress. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.