Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin
Online ISSN : 1347-5215
Print ISSN : 0918-6158
ISSN-L : 0918-6158
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Alleviating Effects of Si-Ni-San, a Traditional Chinese Prescription, on Experimental Liver Injury and Its Mechanisms
Jieyun JiangChunxiang ZhouQiang Xu
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2003 Volume 26 Issue 8 Pages 1089-1094

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Abstract

The present study aims at examining the effects of Si-Ni-San, a prescription usually used for treating hepatitis in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), on various experimental liver injury models and its mechanisms. The prescription showed significant hepatoprotection against CCl4-induced hepatic damage, both in vivo and in vitro. To the liver injury induced by Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Si-Ni-San also provided significant alleviation through enhancing nitric oxide (NO) release by macrophages. Against the liver injury induced by a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to picryl chloride (PCl-DTH), Si-Ni-San alleviated it remarkably when administered during either the induction or effector phase. A significant reduction of in-vitro hepatotoxicity, as measured by the inhibition of serum transaminase evaluation, was observed in nonparenchymal cells from liver-injured mice treated with Si-Ni-San. Si-Ni-San facilitated apoptosis in nonparenchymal cells from liver-injured mice, as well as in spleen cells activated by PCl in vivo or by Con A in vitro. These results suggest that Si-Ni-San provides alleviating effects against liver injury through multiple mechanisms, including protection of the hepatocyte membrane, enhancement of NO release, and dysfunction of liver-infiltrating cells mainly through causing their apoptosis.

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© 2003 The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
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