Wang Dengyuan, Qiu Liang, Wu Xiaoli, Wei Hua, Xu Feng
State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China.
Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Dec 24;176:321-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.11.005. Epub 2015 Nov 9.
Kudzu root, the root of Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi, has been used as food and medicine for centuries, but few studies indicate that kudzu root may cause liver damage.
We studied the hepatotoxicity of kudzu root extract in mice, HepG2 cells and mice hepatocytes.
Mice were administrated with kudzu root extract (10mg/day) for 4 weeks, and then the biochemical analysis and histopathological changes were carried out. To explore the potential mechanism by which kudzu root extract-induced hepatotoxicity, HepG2 cells and mice hepatocytes were co-cultured with kudzu root extract or puerarin, which is a kudzu root isoflavone, for 2h.
The increase of serum ALT and AST and histopathological changes in treated mice revealed that kudzu root extract was hepatotoxic. The increase of LDH leakage for HepG2 cells and mice hepatocytes further confirmed hepatotoxicity of kudzu root extract. Kudzu root extract and puerarin significantly up-regulated Mt1 mRNA involved in the acute phase response and Bax which is crucial for apoptosis. Gclc, Nrf2 and Ho-1 mRNA expressions did not change in treatment group.
Kudzu root extract may be hepatotoxic and caution may be required for its use.
葛根，即野葛（Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi）的根，几个世纪以来一直被用作食物和药物，但很少有研究表明葛根可能会导致肝损伤。
我们研究了葛根提取物对小鼠、HepG2细胞和小鼠肝细胞的肝毒性。
给小鼠灌胃葛根提取物（10mg/天），持续4周，然后进行生化分析和组织病理学变化检测。为探究葛根提取物诱导肝毒性的潜在机制，将HepG2细胞和小鼠肝细胞与葛根提取物或葛根素（一种葛根异黄酮）共培养2小时。
处理组小鼠血清ALT和AST升高以及组织病理学变化表明葛根提取物具有肝毒性。HepG2细胞和小鼠肝细胞中LDH泄漏增加进一步证实了葛根提取物的肝毒性。葛根提取物和葛根素显著上调了参与急性期反应的Mt1 mRNA以及对细胞凋亡至关重要的Bax。处理组中Gclc、Nrf2和Ho-1 mRNA表达未发生变化。
葛根提取物可能具有肝毒性，使用时可能需要谨慎。
