Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand.
Parasitol Res. 2010 May;106(6):1485-9. doi: 10.1007/s00436-010-1809-y. Epub 2010 Mar 20.
The active compound in fingerroot is effective in the treatment of many inflammatory diseases. The aim of our present study was to evaluate the efficacy of fingerroot on reducing histopathological changes in hamsters that were infected with the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini or were administered N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and then treated with fingerroot. Light microscopic observation and liver function tests for alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and direct bilirubin were investigated. The results of histopathological changes show that fingerroot has anti-inflammatory properties--in the case of N-nitrosodimethylamine administration on day 30--by reducing the aggregation of inflammatory cells surrounding the hepatic bile ducts, which correlates with a decreased serum ALT level. The decrease of direct bilirubin levels in hamsters treated with fingerroot suggests that fingerroot may enhance biliary contraction. The present study found that fingerroot clearly reduces the inflammatory cells in hamsters that were administered NDMA, but not in the case of O. viverrini infection. This finding suggests that fingerroot has anti-inflammatory property, but not in the case of hamster opisthorchiasis.
白簕根中的活性化合物在治疗许多炎症性疾病方面非常有效。本研究旨在评估白簕根对感染华支睾吸虫或给予 N-亚硝二甲胺 (NDMA) 并随后用白簕根治疗的仓鼠肝组织病理学变化的疗效。观察光镜和丙氨酸转氨酶 (ALT)、碱性磷酸酶 (ALP) 和直接胆红素的肝功能检查。组织病理学变化的结果表明，白簕根具有抗炎作用——在第 30 天给予 N-亚硝二甲胺时——通过减少围绕肝内胆管的炎症细胞聚集来实现，这与血清 ALT 水平降低相关。用白簕根治疗的仓鼠直接胆红素水平降低表明白簕根可能增强了胆管收缩。本研究发现，白簕根可明显减少给予 NDMA 的仓鼠中的炎症细胞，但对华支睾吸虫感染则没有作用。这一发现表明白簕根具有抗炎作用，但在仓鼠肝吸虫病的情况下则没有。
