Black bean extract ameliorates liver fibrosis in rats with CCl4-induced injury.

UNLABELLED: We assessed the anti-fibrotic effects of methanolic black bean extract antioxidants in a carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) liver injury model in rats. Experimentally intoxicated animals received CCl4 for eight weeks, the reference and test groups received daily intragastric quercetin or daily intragastric black bean extract. Liver fibrosis was assessed and quantified using morphometric analysis. Expression of fibrosis related genes was measured by real time RT-PCR. Qualitative and quantitative histological analysis showed that administration of 70 mg/kg b.w. of black bean extract reduced hepatic fibrosis index by 18% compared to positive controls (P 0.006), as a result of a decrease in type I (44.3% less, P 0.03) and type IV (68.9% less, P 0.049) collagen gene expression compared to CCl4-injured and Quercetin treated rats. In conclusion, we provide evidence that this methanol black bean extract ameliorates liver fibrosis and types I and IV collagen gene expression, in the animal model used. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The compounds contained in this black bean extract exhibited strong antifibrotic effects in the CCl4 chronic liver injury model used; considering that this compounds are contained in a leguminous that has been used in human diet for a long time, their toxic potential should be very low, and this characteristic should favor their potential use in some other chronic or degenerative states that include an increase in inflammation and oxidative burst in their pathogenesis. Another possible application of this kind of extract could be its use as an antimicrobial or even antiparasitic therapeutic agent, although it is purely speculative.

Ductular hyperplasia is characterized by an over expression of c-Myc in bile duct ligation + furan injured rats: possible role of interleukin-6.

The aim of this study was focused on the analysis of gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and c-Myc in liver carcinogenesis in bile duct ligation (BDL)+furan treated rats. We also correlated the molecular and immunohistochemical findings with the degree of architecture distortion and histopathological changes in the liver. Groups of rats were subjected to BDL and one week later, animals were given furan in corn oil by gavage at 45 mg/kg body weight, once a week, five times weekly, for 1--4 weeks. Determination of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines gene expression by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed in tissue, and liver sections were processed for immunohistochemistry of c-Myc. There was a significant increase in the TNF-alpha gene expression at the first week after BDL+furan treatment. Interleukin-6 gene expression was also increased at the first week and remained elevated up to the third week after treatment. C-Myc expression was detected beginning at the first week and peaking at fourth week after treatment where its expression was found at histologically distorted parenchymal areas. The present study suggest a possible relationship in the overexpression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and c-Myc in the development of carcinogenesis.