小柴胡汤对化学性肝纤维化小鼠的保护作用

目的:探讨小柴胡汤(XCHD)对四氯化碳(CCl4)诱发的肝纤维化(HF)小鼠的保护作用。方法:采用持续12周,2次/周,20%CCl4小鼠背部皮下注射的方法,复制HF小鼠模型。造模首日起,每天1次,持续12周,灌胃给予3.90、7.80、15.60 g/kg XCHD和0.1 g/kg水飞蓟宾。实验结束后,处置小鼠,检测血清中ALT、AST含量;HE、Masson、天狼猩红染色以及透射电镜观察肝脏病理组织学损伤情况,并进行HF分级评分;免疫荧光、RT-qPCR和免疫印迹技术检测肝组织中α-肌动蛋白(α-SMA)和Ι型胶原(Collagen Ι)水平。结果:XCHD(7.80,15.60 g/kg)组不仅可明显降低血清中ALT、AST水平(P<0.05),减轻肝脏病理学损伤程度,减少胶原纤维沉积,还可显著抑制α-SMA、Collagen Ι mRNA和蛋白表达水平(P<0.05)。结论:XCHD对化学性HF小鼠具有很好的保护作用。

Protective effects of Xiaochaihu Decoction on chemical hepatic fibrosis in mice

AIM: To observe the protective effects of Xiaochaihu Decoction (XCHD) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis (HF) in mice. METHODS: HF was induced in male mice by 20% CCl4 twice a week for 12 weeks. XCHD (3.90, 7.80, 15.60 g/kg) and Silybin (0.1 g/kg) were administrated via gavage once a day starting from the CCl4 treatment for subsequent 12 weeks. Then, the levels ALT and AST in serum were assayed, liver samples were taken to examine the degree of HF by HE, Masson, Sirius Red staining and Electron microscope. Moreover, the protein and mRNA expression levels of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and Collagen Ι were determined by RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence and Western blot. RESULTS: The data demonstrated that XCHD (7.80, 15.60 g/kg) effectively reduced histopathological changes, such as steatosis, collagen deposition; meanwhile the histopathological analysis suggested that XCHD obviously alleviated the degree of HF. Furthermore, XCHD significantly reduced the levels of ALT, AST (P<0.05), and attenuated the expressions of α-SMA, Collagen Ι both of protein and mRNA levels (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: XCHD has protective effect on chemical HF in mice.