Prevention and treatment of Hedysari Radix polysaccharide on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis and bone loss / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of Hedysari Radix polysaccharide (HRP) on liver fibrosis in mice and the correlation between the hepatic fibrosis and bone loss. Methods: The mice were sc injected with 40% carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) dissolved in olive oil solution (0.1 mL/kg, once every 5 days ), while given high-, mid-, and low-dose (20, 10, and 5 g crude drug/kg) HRP and colchicines (0.6 mg/kg) daily. Continuous 35 d later, the activity of alanine transarninase (ALT) and aspartate transferase (AST), contents of total protein (TP) and albumin (ALB) were investigated by related reagent kit, and then, calculated the albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, liver and thymus indexes and liver histological of tissue pathology were determined. The serum level of acid phosphatase resistant to acid phosphatase (TRACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Ca, P, and the bone level of hydroxyproline (Hyp) were investigated by related reagent kit to observe bone loss. Results: The model group compared with the Sham group, the levels of ALT, AST, and TP increase, showed obvious liver pathological damage, liver and thymus index increase, levels of TRACP, ALP, Ca, and P decrease, and Hyp increase. HRP could significantly improve the hepatic fibrosis and bone loss induced by CCl4 in mice. Conclusion: The liver fibrosis in mice could also cause bone loss and be the primary cause of bone loss in this experiment. The certain market value of this Chinese materia medica is developed for its significant effect and contact between hepatic fibrosis and bone loss is initially investigated, which lays the foundation to further discuss the mechanism of the above two.