Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2009 Dec 10;126(3):518-24. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2009.09.004. Epub 2009 Sep 15.
Aerial parts of Chelidonium majus L. (Papaveraceae family) are traditionally used in the treatment of gallstones and dyspepsia, however several cases of hepatotoxicity are reported. In this work we evaluated the effects on liver function of a C. majus extract, obtained from the herbal material responsible for one case of hepatotoxicity.
Experiments were performed in Wistar rats, after oral administration of doses corresponding to 1.5 and 3g/(kg day) of herbal drug, for 2 or 4 weeks. Blood samples were collected to perform biochemical analysis, whereas liver samples were used for histomorphological and immunohistochemical examination along with the determination of oxidative stress parameters.
No significant modification in animal body weight, food consumption, enzyme activities, hepatic histomorphology and MDA formation, at either time or dosage level. Conversely, C. majus induced a slight but significant decrease of GSH levels and SOD activity, especially at the high dose.
Our study suggests that C. majus, at doses about 50 and 100 times higher than those generally used in humans, does not alter hepatic function. However, the reduction in GSH levels and SOD activity suggests particular attention in use of C. majus or its preparations in situations (pharmacological treatments, physio-pathological conditions, etc.) that can compromise liver function.
欧洲白屈菜（罂粟科）的地上部分传统上用于治疗胆结石和消化不良，但有几例报告显示其具有肝毒性。在这项工作中，我们评估了一种欧洲白屈菜提取物对肝功能的影响，该提取物来自导致一例肝毒性的草药材料。
实验在 Wistar 大鼠中进行，经口给予相当于 1.5 和 3g/（kg·天）草药剂量的提取物，持续 2 或 4 周。采集血样进行生化分析，同时采集肝样进行组织形态学和免疫组织化学检查，并测定氧化应激参数。
在任何时间或剂量水平，动物体重、食物摄入量、酶活性、肝组织形态学和 MDA 形成均无显著变化。相反，欧洲白屈菜诱导了 GSH 水平和 SOD 活性的轻微但显著降低，尤其是在高剂量时。
我们的研究表明，欧洲白屈菜在剂量约为人类通常使用剂量的 50 至 100 倍时，不会改变肝功能。然而，GSH 水平和 SOD 活性的降低表明，在可能损害肝功能的情况下（如药物治疗、生理病理状况等），使用欧洲白屈菜或其制剂时需要特别注意。
