ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the effects of Acanthopanax Senticosus Injection (ASI) on free radical metabolism and apoptosis in the hepatic tissue after hepatic ischemia-reperfusion in rats.Methods A total of 100 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: a sham operation group, a model group, and groups of high-, medium- and low-dose ASI, 20 rats in each group. Seven days before modeling, the drugs had been given by intraperitoneal injection. The rats in the high-, medium- and low-dose groups were given ASI 40, 80 and 120 mg/kg, respectively, and the rats in the sham operation and model groups were given equivalent volume of normal saline. A rat model of hepatic ischemia reperfusion was induced by partial hepatic pedicle clamping followed by reperfusion. 2 h after reperfusion, the activities of SOD, GSH-Px, GST and the MDA level in the hepatic tissue were determined; the activities of ALT and AST in serum were also determined; the histopathological changes and hepatocyte apoptosis were observed using the HE staining and the TUNEL staining, respectively.Results In comparison with the model group, the activities of SOD (11.16 ± 2.31 U/mg, 10.63 ± 1.92 U/mgvs.7.34 ± 1.78 U/mg;P<0.01 orP<0.05), GSH-Px (15.48 ± 2..91 U/mg, 13.23 ± 1.87 U/mgvs. 10.35 ± 2.04 U/mg;P<0.01 orP<0.05), GST(1.76 ± 0.25 U/mg, 1.55 ± 0.22 U/mgvs.0.94 ± 0.18 U/mg;P<0.01 orP<0.05) in the hepatic tissue in the ASI high- and medium-dose groups were significantly increased; and the MDA level in the hepatic tissue significantly decreased (4.67 ± 1.24 nmol/mg, 4.93 ± 1.53 nmol/mgvs.10.29 ± 2.41 nmol/mg); the serum levels of ALT(671.82 ± 338.37 U/L, 803.91 ± 441.63 U/Lvs.1 416.22 ± 538.94 U/L;P<0.01 orP<0.05), AST(329.02 ± 161.88 U/L, 417.26 ± 182.37 U/Lvs.751.93 ± 262.75 U/L;P<0.01 or P<0.05) were significantly decreased; the histopathological changes and hepatocyte apoptosis in the ASI high-, medium - and low-dose groups were significantly reduced.Conclusions ASI could effectively attenuate oxidative stress in the, improve the histopathological changes, inhibit hepatocyte apoptosis, and protect against hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury in rats.