Protective Effects And Mechanisms Of The Ginger Oils On Experimental Liver Injury

Objective: To investigate protective effects of ginger oils on liver, and to explore its mechanisms of protecting liver and anti-hepatic fibrosis.Methods: Animal model of acute hepatic injury induced by carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen as well as cell model of acute hepatic injury induced by carbon tetrachloride and hydrogen peroxide in vitro were used to observe the protective effect of ginger oils on liver, model of chronic hepatic fibrosis established by subcutaneous injection of carbon tetrachloride was used to observe anti-fibrosis effect of ginger oils and to search its possible molecular mechanisms. Colorimetry was used to measure the contents of ALT, AST, SOD, MDA, TP and Alb. ELISA was used to determine the contents of serum TGF-β1, HA and LN. In situ hybridization was used to determine the expression of TIMP-1 mRNA in hepatic tissue. Light microscopic examination was used to watch morphological changes of hepatic tissue of acute hepatic injury and chronic hepatic fibrosis.Results: Ginger oils could obviously decrease ALT and AST levels of animal model of acute hepatic injury induced by carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen, cell model of acute hepatic injury induced by carbon tetrachloride and hydrogen peroxide in vitro and rat model of chronic hepatic fibrosis induced by subcutaneous injection of carbon tetrachloride (P<0.05, P<0.01), significantly decrease MDA level of rat liver tissue and mouse serum (P<0.05, P<0.01), increase activity of SOD of rat liver tissue and mouse serum (P<0.05), markedly reduce the levels of TGF-pi, HA and LN of hepatic fibrotic rat serum (P<0.01), obviously increase levels of serum TP and Alb of hepatic fibrotic rat (P<0.01), down-regulate the expression of TIMP-1 mRNA of rat hepatic tissue ( P<0.01). Under light microscopy, the ginger oil therapy groups could both significantly decrease the infiltration of inflammatory cells, hepatic cell degeneration, and necrosis in acute hepaticinjury model, but also inhibit the generation of hepatic pseudolobuli and the sedimentation of collagenous fibers as compared with model group (PO.05, PO.01).Conclusion: Ginger oils had obviously protective effects on acute hepatic injuryinduced by carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen as well as acute hepatic cell injury induced by carbon tetrachloride and hydrogen peroxide in vitro, and could block the formation of rat hepatic fibrosis produced by carbon tetrachloride, which might be related to the effect of anti-oxidation, regulation of cellular factors and influence on collagen metabolism by ginger oils.