ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found that panax notoginseng saponins have a certain protective effect on immunological liver injury in mice. OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effect of notoginsenoside R1 on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in rats. METHODS: Experimental liver fibrosis model was made by carbon tetrachloride in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Then 30 g/L notoginsenoside R1 (60 mg/kg) was given once daily for 4 and 6 weeks in the treatment group. Rats in the control and model group were given distilled water of the same volume. Histopathological observation with hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson’s trichrome staining was used to evaluate the changes of liver structure and fibrosis degree. The expression of collage type I, α-smooth muscle actin and transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA of hepatic tissue was measured by qRT-PCR method. The experimental protocol was approved by the Animal Experiment Ethics Committee of Kunming Medical University (approval No. KMMU2018018). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Liver histopathology showed that notoginsenoside R1 improved the degree of liver fibrosis. The expression levels of collagen type I, α-smooth muscle actin and transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA were reduced significantly in the treatment group compared with the model group (P < 0.05). But there was no significant difference after 4 and 6 weeks of treatment with notoginsenoside R1. Overall findings indicate that notoginsenoside R1 can slow down the progression of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis in rats to a certain extent.