[Pharmacological studies on puerariae flos. II. The effects of puerariae flos on alcohol-induced unusual metabolism and experimental liver injury in mice].

The present study was designed to examine the effects of methanolic extract (PE-ME), isoflavonoid fraction (PF-IF), triterpenoid saponin fraction (PF-SP) and N-acyl-N1-glucosyl-tryptophan (PF-P) isolated from puerariae flos on alcohol-induced unusual metabolism (as for glucose (BG), triglyceride (TG), and urea nitrogen (BUN) level in blood) and experimental liver injury (model: CCl4- and high fatty food induced) in mice. These alcohol-induced increasing responses were inhibited by the extracted and refined substances from puerariae flos. In short, PF-ME (4500 mg/kg) and PF-P (400 mg/kg) inhibited an increase in BG level induced by alcohol, whereas PF-IF (1000 mg/kg) and PF-SP (1000 mg/kg) did not. Similary, PF-ME and PF-SP inhibited an increase in TG induced by alcohol, whereas PF-IF did not. In addition, PF-IF and PF-SP inhibited increasing BUN level. Still more, PF-IF and PF-SP significantly inhibited an increase in gulutamate oxalacetate transaminase or gulutamate pyruvate transaminase level induced by high-fatty food and CCl4 in control animals. Especially PF-IF (250 mg/kg) administration showed a remarkable effect (inhibition: 76.3%) in control animals. These results suggested that puerariae flos or its combination drugs may be a useful drug as a traditional medicinal system for counteraction to drinking.