[Study on hepatotoxicity of aqueous extracts of Polygonum multiflorum in rats after 28-day oral administration: cholestasis-related mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of aqueous extracts of Polygonum multiflorum (AEPM) on bile acid synthesis, metabolism and transfer-related molecules in rat liver and the hepatotoxicity-related mechanism of P. multiflorum. METHOD: Sprague-Dawley rats were orally administered with 30, 60 g x kg(-1) APEM once everyday for consecutively 28 days. At the end of the experiment, mRNA and protein expressions of hepatic MRP3, MRP2, BSEP, FXR and CYP7A1 were detected by Real-time PCR and Western blot RESULT: Compared with the normal group, the AEPM high dose group showed significant increases in mRNA expressions of hepatic MRP3 and BSEP of male rats (P < 0.05); AEPM high and low dose groups revealed a notable decrease in mRNA expressions of hepatic FXR (P < 0.05) and remarkable rises in mRNA expressions of hepatic MRP3, MRP2, BSEP, CYP7A1 among female rats (P < 0.05). According to the test results of western blot assay, AEPM high and low dose groups showed consistent changes in protein and mRNA expressions hepatic MRP3, MRP2, BSEP, FXR, CYP7A1. CONCLUSION: The 28 oral administration with AEPM in rats showed a certain effect on expressions of bile acid synthesis, metabolism and transfer-related proteins, as well as cholestatic or choleretic effects in the mRNA expression.

Comparative study on the anti-inflammatory and immune suppressive effect of Wilforlide A.

Tripterygium Glycosides (TG) is effective in the treatment of patients with a variety of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical. Wilforlide A (T(1)) serves as a quality control standard of TG that be listed in Drug Standard of Ministry of Public Health of the People's Republic of China. The pharmacologic actions of T(1) remain to be unidentified. In this paper, we studied the anti-inflammatory and immune suppressive effect of T(1), and compared it with Triptolide (TP), which believed to be the major active component of TG. Carrageenan-induced rat pedal swelling, tampon-induced rat granulation, and mice ear inhibition rate of swelling trail results show that high-dose T(1) has obvious anti-inflammatory effect. Colorimetric detection contents of hemolysin, carbon elimination from plasma of mice, mice delayed hypersensitivity immune, and organ index were measured. The results show that T(1) has no significant immune suppressive activity, and there has a significant difference with TP and TG. Therefore, we think the content of TP also should be controlled as a supplement standard in order to ensure safe and effective medication.