Effect of silymarin (Carsil) on the microsomal glycoprotein and protein biosynthesis in liver of rats with experimental galactosamine hepatitis.

The effect of the hepatoprotective drug silymarin (Carsil) on the incorporation rate of 14C-leucine into total proteins and on the biosynthesis of UDP-N-acetylhexosamine and microsomal glycoproteins using 14C-glucose of rat liver with D-galactosamine hepatitis was studied. It was found that i.p. treatment with Carsil in a dose of 140 mg/kg applied for 4 consecutive days partly abolishes the inhibitory effect of galactosamine on protein and glycoprotein biosynthesis. The specific activity of 14C-labelled UDP-N-acetylhexosamine is higher in the liver of D-galactosamine treated rats, compared with the specific activity of the nucleotide from liver pretreated with Carsil and then injected with galactosamine. This fact supports the suggestion that Carsil probably activates the metabolic conversion of UDP-hexosamine to the acetylated metabolite-UDP-N-acetylhexosamine, which is the normal liver cell metabolite, in liver cells.