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Red Ginseng Extract Ameriolates CCl4‐induced Liver Fibrosis
Author(s) -
Cho Je,
Ki Sung Hwan,
Kim Young Woo
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.lb588
Subject(s) - ginseng , ccl4 , carbon tetrachloride , hepatic stellate cell , liver fibrosis , fibrosis , parenchyma , chemistry , pharmacology , medicine , pathology , alternative medicine , organic chemistry
Korean Red Ginseng, the processed root of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer, has been frequently used for various therapeutic purposes in oriental medicine and is now widely used around the world. The present study investigated the possible preventive effect of Red Ginseng Extract (RGE) for the treatment of liver fibrosis. We injected mice with multiple doses of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 4 weeks and then used the animal to explore whether RGE treatment therapeutically improved liver functions and resolved fibers accumulated in the liver. Multiple CCl4 injections caused the elevated levels of ALT, AST and collagen accumulation. In contrast, concomitant treatment with RGE (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg) significantly reduced them in a dose‐dependent manner. In histopathological analysis, RGE treatment decreased the percentages of degenerative regions, numbers of degenerative hepatocytes and collagen deposited percentages in hepatic parenchyma. In addition, RGE inhibited the mRNA level of transforming growth factor β1, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 genes in fibrogenic liver. Moreover, RGE dose‐dependently reduced the number of α smooth muscle actin‐positive cells in liver tissue. Taken together, these results demonstrate that RGE can protect the CCl4‐induced liver fibrosis, partly via hepatic stellate cell inactivation.