Natural protoberberine alkaloids from Enantia chlorantha, palmatine, columbamine and jatrorrhizine for thioacetamide-traumatized rat liver.

Experimental liver injury was provoked experimentally in rats with intraperitoneal injections of thioacetamide. Traumatized rats received further intraperitoneal injections of Hepasor, a protoberberine alkaloid extract from Enantia chlorantha (Annonaceae) containing palmatine, columbamine and jatrorrhizine. The development of body weight was kept under continuous control. Biochemical assays of blood plasma, serum alanine transferase (S-ALT), serum alkaline phosphatase (S-AP), serum creatinine S-CREAT, serum hydroxyproline (S-OH-PROL) and serum calcium (S-Ca) were done and liver samples for histological processing were taken. The biochemical results obtained indicate Hepasor exerted a marked influence on the S-ALT activities and S-OH-PROL values in female rats, but more incidental one in male rats. Some reduction in S-AP activity and S-CREAT values, which was also dependent on sex, was also found. The histological findings in the liver sections of female rats show that Hepasor improves the blood flow and mitotic activity in thioacetamide-traumatized livers.