Water‐Soluble Polysaccharide from Eleutherococcus senticosus Stems Attenuates Fulminant Hepatic Failure Induced by D‐Galactosamine and Lipopolysaccharide in Mice

• Published in: Basic & clinical pharmacology & toxicology 2004-06, Vol.94 (6), p.298-304
• Main Authors: Park, Eun‐Jeon, Nan, Ji‐Xing, Zhao, Yu‐Zhe, Lee, Sung Hee, Kim, Young Ho, Nam, Jeong Bum, Lee, Jung Joon, Sohn, Dong Hwan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alanine Transaminase - blood; Animals; Apoptosis - drug effects; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; Biological and medical sciences; DNA Fragmentation - drug effects; Eleutherococcus - chemistry; Galactosamine; General pharmacology; Hepatocytes - drug effects; Hepatocytes - pathology; Lipopolysaccharides; Liver - drug effects; Liver - pathology; Liver Failure - blood; Liver Failure - chemically induced; Liver Failure - prevention & control; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plant Extracts - toxicity; Plant Stems - chemistry; Polysaccharides - therapeutic use; Polysaccharides - toxicity; Protective Agents - therapeutic use; Protective Agents - toxicity; Solubility; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - analysis
• ISSN: 1742-7835; 1742-7843
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2004.pto940607.x

: The aim of this study was to investigate whether Eleutherococcus senticosus stems could attenuate D‐galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide‐induced fulminant hepatic failure in mice. E. senticosus, known as Siberian ginseng, is a popular folk medicine used as a tonic in Asia. Preparations of E. senticosus used in this study were as follows; (i) 70% ethanol extract (ii) water extract (iii) ethanol‐soluble part of the water extract (iv) polysaccharide obtained as an 80% ethanol insoluble of the water extract. Preparations were given by intraperitoneal (300 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg) or oral (300 mg/kg) injection at 12 hr and 1 hr before a D‐galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide injection. The intraperitoneal injection of water extract and polysaccharide significantly lowered serum levels of tumour necrosis factor‐α, aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase, improved the histologic changes in liver, inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis confirmed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick end‐labeling method and DNA fragmentation assay, and suppressed the lethality induced by D‐galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide. The oral administration of water extract and polysaccharide also reduced serum aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and tumour necrosis factor‐α levels. In contrast 70% ethanol extract and ethanol‐soluble part of the water extract had no protective effect when treated intraperitoneally or orally. These results indicate E. senticosus stems attenuate fulminant hepatic failure induced by D‐galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide in mice and the protective effect is due to water‐soluble polysaccharides in E. senticosus stems.