a Department of Anesthesiology , Qilu Hospital of Shandong University , Shandong , Jinan , People's Republic of China.
Pharm Biol. 2019 Dec;57(1):98-104. doi: 10.1080/13880209.2019.1568509.
Cassia semen (Cs), a seed of Cassia obtusifolia L. (Leguminosae), is a popular functional beverage. Previous studies reported that Cs displayed antioxidant, antifungal and strong liver protective effects.
This study evaluates the hepatoprotective effects of Cs on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Seventy-two male Wistar rats raised with high-fat diet (HFD) were randomly allotted into model, metformin (0.2 g/kg) and Cs (0.5, 1, and 2 g/kg)-treated groups. Another 12 rats were raised with normal feed as control group; all the rats were orally administrated with drugs and vehicle for 6 weeks. Alanine transferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and low density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R) mRNA levels were measured at the end of the experiment.
Twelve weeks of HFD administration significantly increased the levels of AST, ALT, TG, TC, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and MDA, decreased SOD (199.42 vs. 137.70 U/mg protein) and GSH (9.76 vs. 4.55 mg/g protein) contents, compared to control group. Cs administration group significantly decreased the elevated biomarkers with the ED = 1.2 g/kg for NAFLD rats. Cs treatment also prevents the decreased expression of LDL-R mRNA, and improved the histopathological changes compared to model group.
The hepatoprotective effect of Cs on NAFLD may possibly be due to its antioxidant effect. Cs may become a potent hepatoprotective agent in clinical therapy in the future.
决明子（Cs）是豆科植物钝叶决明（Leguminosae）的种子，是一种受欢迎的功能性饮料。先前的研究表明，Cs 具有抗氧化、抗真菌和强大的肝脏保护作用。
本研究评估 Cs 对非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）的肝脏保护作用。
72 只雄性 Wistar 大鼠用高脂肪饮食（HFD）饲养，随机分为模型组、二甲双胍（0.2 g/kg）和 Cs（0.5、1 和 2 g/kg）治疗组。另外 12 只大鼠用普通饲料饲养作为对照组；所有大鼠均口服给药，持续 6 周。实验结束时，检测丙氨酸转氨酶（ALT）、天冬氨酸转氨酶（AST）、甘油三酯（TG）、总胆固醇（TC）、丙二醛（MDA）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽（GSH）、肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）-α、白细胞介素（IL）-6、IL-8 和低密度脂蛋白受体（LDL-R）mRNA 水平。
12 周 HFD 喂养显著增加了 AST、ALT、TG、TC、TNF-α、IL-6、IL-8 和 MDA 的水平，降低了 SOD（199.42 对 137.70 U/mg 蛋白）和 GSH（9.76 对 4.55 mg/g 蛋白）含量，与对照组相比。Cs 给药组显著降低了 NAFLD 大鼠升高的生物标志物，其 ED 值为 1.2 g/kg。与模型组相比，Cs 治疗还可防止 LDL-R mRNA 表达降低，并改善组织病理学变化。
Cs 对 NAFLD 的肝脏保护作用可能与其抗氧化作用有关。Cs 将来可能成为临床治疗中一种有效的肝脏保护剂。
