ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the protective effect of diammonium glycyrrhizinate on hepatic function in burn patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty burn patients with hepatic dysfunction were enrolled in the study and were randomly divided into 2 groups, i. e. treatment (T, n = 10, with conventional treatment and intravenous infusion of 150 mg diammonium glycyrrhizinate per day for 14 days), and control (C, n = 10, with conventional treatment) groups. The blood samples in both groups were collected before and 7 and 15 days after the treatment. The serum contents of ALT, AST, GGT, ALP and PA in the blood samples were determined and analyzed comparatively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was obvious difference in the serum contents of ALT, AST, GGT, ALP and PA in the T group before treatment (168 +/- 46 U/L, 104 +/- 29 U/L, 162 +/- 37 U/L, 149 +/- 17 U/L, 310 +/- 35 mg/L, respectively) and 15 days after treatment (51 +/- 9 U/L, 31 +/- 3 U/L, 56 +/- 10 U/L, 103 +/- 9 U/L, 372 +/- 44 mg/L, respectively, P < 0.05). There was no difference in these indices in the C group before and after treatment (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Diammonium glycyrrhizinate seemed to be beneficial to the management of postburn hepatic dysfunction with obvious rapid depression of hepatic enzymes.</p>