保肝中藥抽取物對半乳糖胺誘發急性肝細胞損傷之療效評估

THE HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE IN GALATOSAMINE-INDUCED ACUTE HEPATOTOXICITY

台灣近數十年來肝癌的罹患率及死亡率一直高居不下，各種原因的肝炎是主要的原因，然而現代醫學中對肝炎的治療仍有其瓶頸，因此從另類醫療中找尋對保肝有效的方法，則是一個發展的方向。本研究以小鼠為試驗動物，隨機分為控制組：腹腔注射生理食鹽水 + 餵食生理食鹽水、負控制組：腹腔注射半乳糖胺（galactosamine ）+ 餵食生理食鹽水、正控制組：腹腔注射半乳糖胺 + 餵食水飛薊（silymarin ）、實驗A 組：先餵食保肝中藥24 倍濃縮液2 天後再腹腔注射半乳糖胺 + 餵食保肝中藥24 倍濃縮液、實驗B 組：腹腔注射半乳糖胺 + 餵食保肝中藥24 倍濃縮液、實驗C 組：腹腔注射半乳糖胺 + 餵食保肝中藥36 倍濃縮液。誘發肝細胞損傷後第24 小時及第48 小時由小鼠尾部採血，測定血清中之天冬氨酸轉胺（aspartate aminotransferase; AST ）及丙氨酸轉胺（alanine aminotransferase; ALT ）數值，並在實驗結束時犧牲小鼠，切下肝右葉進行病理切片處理。結果可以發現，負控制組小鼠之肝功能顯著高於控制組（p < 0.01 ），從病理切片也可以見到大面積壞死，表示半乳糖胺可以成功誘發急性肝細胞損傷。而正控制組則可以減少半乳糖胺所誘發之急性肝損傷。三組中藥實驗組也都能減少半乳糖胺所誘發之急性肝損傷，其中又以實驗A 組效果最好。此外，不同濃度之中藥實驗組（實驗A 、B 組）對小鼠保肝之作用也有差異。由結果顯示，保肝中藥可以減少半乳糖胺所造成的急性肝損傷，並以預先餵食保肝中藥之效果較佳，中藥保肝的機轉，則有待進一步的研究。The mortality and morbidity of hepatoma were still high in the past few decades in Taiwan. Although viral hepatitis was known as the main reason; there are certain limitation in the treatment of hepatitis. Therefore, finding effective herbal medicine in the prevention of acute hepatitis maybe a valid approach. In our study, the mice were randomized into control group (intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection with normal saline and fed with normal saline), negative control group (i.p. injection with galatosamine and fed with normal saline), positive control group (i.p. injection with galatosamine and fed with silymarin), experimental group A (pretreated with 24X heptoprotective herbs; then i.p. injection with galatosamine followed with 24X heptoprotective herbs given), group B (i.p. injection with galatosamine and fed with 24X heptoprotective herbs) and group C (i.p. injection with galatosamine and fed with 36X heptoprotective herbs). Blood sampling were performed at the 24th and 48th hours after galatosamine induced acute hepatocellular damage. Serum level of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were measured. Liver biopsy from right hepatic lobe was done for pathology. The results showed that the liver function was elevated in the negative control group compared with the normal control group. There was also severe necrosis of hepatocyte proved by the pathology. The result of positive control group showed partial reversed galatosamine induced acute hepatotoxicity. Three experimental groups could reduced galatosamine induced acute hepatotoxicity as the positive control group, es-pecially the group A. Besides, there are different effect under different kind of heptoprotective herbs concentration. Out results suggest that heptoprotective herbs could reduce galatosamine induced acute hepatotoxicity dose dependently. The preventive effect (group A) before galatosamine induced acute liver damage was better than other experimental groups. It required further study to understand the mechanism of such kind of heptoprotective herbs on the protection of hepatotoxicity.