Anti-oxidant and natural killer cell activity of Korean red ginseng (Panax ginseng) and urushiol (Rhus vernicifera Stokes) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease of rat.

Anti-oxidative and immunologic effects of the Korea red ginseng (KRG; Panax ginseng) and urushiol (Rhus vernicifera Stokes) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) were evaluated. Forty-five rats (five Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka and 40 Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty [OLETF] rats) received chew diets for 10months; after this period. The OLETF rats were divided into the following four groups according to diet for 2months: NAFLD (chew), KRG (chew+KRG [200mg/kg/day]), urushiol (chew+urushiol [0.5mg/kg/day]), and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) (chew+UDCA [15mg/kg/day]) groups. Liver function, lipid profiles and anti-oxidant activity of liver and serum, natural killer (NK) cell activity, and pathology were compared. In KRG and urushiol groups, the level of serum triglyceride ([302.0±70.4 and 275.2±63.8] vs. 527.7±153.3mg/dL) were lower compared with that of NAFLD group (p<0.05). The levels of HDL-cholesterol (liver tissue: [4.8±0.2 and 4.8±0.5] vs. 4.2±0.2mg/g) and NK cell activity ([3485±910 and 3559±910] vs. 2486±619 counts) were significantly higher than those of the NAFLD group (p<0.001). Inflammation with neutrophil infiltration was observed in only two rats in the NAFLD group. These results suggest that 2months of oral KRG or urushiol administration improves lipid profiles and stimulates NK cell activity, while inhibiting steatohepatitis in OLEFT rats.