Traditional Uighur Medicine Department, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2010 Sep 15;131(2):478-84. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2010.07.023. Epub 2010 Jul 15.
This study aimed to evaluate in vivo hepatoprotective activity of the aqueous extract of Artemisia absinthium L. (AEAA), which has been used for the treatment of liver disorders in Traditional Uighur Medicine.
Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis of the AEAA was performed by means of thin layer chromatography and spectrophometric assays. Aqueous extract (50, 100 or 200 mg/kg body weight/day) was administered orally to experimental mice. Liver injury was induced chemically, by a single CCl(4) administration (0.1% in olive oil, 10 ml/kg, i.v.), or immunologically, by injection of endotoxin (LPS, 10 microg, i.v.) in BCG-primed mice. The levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) in mouse sera, as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in mouse liver tissues were measured. The biochemical observations were supplemented by histopathological examination.
Obtained results demonstrated that the pretreatment with AEAA significantly (P<0.001) and dose-dependently prevented chemically or immunologically induced increase in serum levels of hepatic enzymes. Furthermore, AEAA significantly (P<0.05) reduced the lipid peroxidation in the liver tissue and restored activities of defense antioxidant enzymes SOD and GPx towards normal levels. In the BCG/LPS model, increase of the levels of important pro-inflammatory mediators TNF-alpha and IL-1 was significantly (P<0.01) suppressed by AEAA pretreatment. Histopathology of the liver tissue showed that AEAA attenuated the hepatocellular necrosis and led to reduction of inflammatory cells infiltration. Phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of sesquiterpene lactones, flavonoids, phenolic acids and tannins in the AEAA.
The results of this study strongly indicate the protective effect of AEAA against acute liver injury which may be attributed to its antioxidative and/or immunomodulatory activity, and thereby scientifically support its traditional use.
本研究旨在评估在传统维吾尔医学中用于治疗肝脏疾病的艾蒿（Artemisia absinthium L.）水提取物（AEAA）的体内保肝活性。
通过薄层色谱和分光光度法对 AEAA 进行定性和定量的植物化学分析。将水提取物（50、100 或 200 mg/kg 体重/天）口服给予实验小鼠。通过单次 CCl（4）（橄榄油中的 0.1%，10 ml/kg，iv.）给药或通过在 BCG 致敏小鼠中注射内毒素（LPS，10 μg，iv.）诱导化学性或免疫性肝损伤。测定小鼠血清中天冬氨酸氨基转移酶（AST）、丙氨酸氨基转移酶（ALT）、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）和白细胞介素-1（IL-1）的水平，以及小鼠肝组织中超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GPx）和丙二醛（MDA）的水平。生化观察结果辅以组织病理学检查。
结果表明，AEAA 预处理可显著（P<0.001）且呈剂量依赖性地防止化学性或免疫性肝损伤诱导的血清肝酶水平升高。此外，AEAA 显著（P<0.05）降低肝组织的脂质过氧化作用，并将防御抗氧化酶 SOD 和 GPx 的活性恢复至正常水平。在 BCG/LPS 模型中，AEAA 预处理显著抑制（P<0.01）重要促炎介质 TNF-α和 IL-1 水平的升高。肝组织病理学显示，AEAA 减轻了肝细胞坏死并减少了炎症细胞浸润。植物化学分析表明，AEAA 中含有倍半萜内酯、黄酮类、酚酸和单宁。
本研究结果强烈表明，AEAA 对急性肝损伤具有保护作用，这可能归因于其抗氧化和/或免疫调节活性，从而从科学上支持其传统用途。
