[A study on the preventive effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on the development of alcoholic fatty liver in rats and its possible mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE

To study the preventive effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on the development of alcoholic fatty liver (AFL) in rats and its possible mechanisms.

METHODS

One hundred twenty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: a blank control group, with distilled water intragastric infusion (GI); an alcohol group, with alcohol GI; a 5% LBP plus alcohol GI group; and a 10% LBP plus alcohol GI group. Liver pathologic changes were studied together with the activity of serum ALT, AST, GGT, the activity of liver SOD, GSH-PX and the content of liver MDA, GSH, H2O2; CYP2E1 gene and protein expressions were also detected.

RESULTS

At the end of ten weeks, the activity of serum AST [(132.3+/-25.7) U/L, (127.5+/-29.1)U/L] and GGT [(1.9+/-0.5)U/L, (1.8+/-0.7)U/L] of the two LBP groups were all significantly lower than those of the alcohol group [serum AST (245.7+/-32.1) and GGT (4.4+/-0.6)]. At the end of ten weeks, the content of liver MDA [(5.1+/-0.3) nmol/mg, (5.1+/-0.4) nmol/mg] and H2O2 [(135.4+/-23.5) mmol/g, (132.6+/-31.8) mmol/g] of the two LBP groups were significantly lower than those of the alcohol group [MDA (14.5+/-3.2) nmol/mgprot) and H2O2 (328.5+/-45.6)]. The activity of SOD [(206.7+/-13.2)U/L, (203.2+/-18.8)U/L], GSH-PX [(13.5+/-1.4)U/mg/min, (13.6+/-1.5)U/mg/min] and the content of GSH [(65.1+/-11.0)mg/g, (66.6+/-11.1) mg/g] of the two LBP groups were all significantly higher than those of the alcohol group [SOD (116.5+/-13.6)U/mg/min, GSH-PX (7.2+/-1.6)U/mg/min and the content of GSH (30.5+/-10.7)mg/g] (P less than 0.01). At the end of five weeks, levels of CYP2E1 gene and protein expression of the two LBP groups were 0.39+/-0.04, 0.40+/-0.06 and 3.49+/-0.36, 3.29+/-0.30 respectively. At the end of ten weeks, levels of CYP2E1 gene and protein expression of the two LBP groups were 0.41+/-0.05, 0.42+/-0.08 and 3.58+/-0.30, 3.36+/-0.37 respectively. They were all significantly lower than those of the alcohol group [the gene expression (5 week: 0.74+/-0.05, 10 week: 1.02+/-0.08) and the protein expression (5 week: 5.63+/-0.44, 10 week: 7.90+/-0.26)]. There were no typical alcoholic fatty liver pathologic changes observed in the two LBP groups.

CONCLUSION

LBP can effectively prevent AFL. This may be due to its effects in inhibiting the hepatocyte CYP2E1 expression and prevention of lipid peroxidation.