Timing effect of paeoniflorin on liver fibrosis in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum / 中国人兽共患病学报

ABSTRACT

To probe the effect of paeoniflorin on periovular granuloma and liver fibrosis in mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum in different times of infection and the treatment with praziquantel (PZQ). The models of hepatic fibrosis induced by S.japonicum were established by exposure of BALB/c mice percutaneously through the tail to cercariae of S.japonicum. and mice with treatment were randomly divided into 3 groups i.e. groups of pre-treatment (I), group of simultaneous treatment (Ⅱ) and group of post-treatment (III). All groups, except the normal control group, were orally introduced with PZQ. And mice in the paeoniflorin-treated group and control group were separately introduced with paeoniflorin and 0.5% sodium carboxymethycellulose respectively. The treatments in group I, II and III were started 30 days before PZQ usage, simultaneously with PZQ or 30days-after PZQ usage respectively. Mice in these groups were sacrificed on the 102, 132 or 162 days after infection. Then the serum levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), amino-terminal peptide of type III procollagen (PIIIP) and liver hydroxyproline (Hyp) were detected. The histopathology was examined by HE and Masson staining; the degree of hepatic fibrosis and the area of egg granuloma were analyzed. The expression of collagen I was examined by immunohistochemical method. It was found that the area of granuloma and degree of hepatic fibrosis in the paeoniflorin-treated groups in group I and III were significantly lower than those in the model control groups. Also, paeoniflorin could induce decreas expression of collagen I. Meanwhile the levels of serum HA, PIIIP and liver Hyp were all reduced in comparison with those in the control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). However, in group Ⅱ, no significant difference was noted between the treated and the control group in most data. Paeoniflorin also showed the effects to reduce the size of periovular granuloma and to reduce the expression of type I collagen, thereby to resist the development of hepatic fibrosis caused by S. japonicum.-It is evident that PAE shows an efficaciously therapeutic effect on the development of liver fibrosis of shistosomiasis, whenever it is administered before or after the usage of schistosomicides.