Hepatoprotective effects of the Herba Houttuyniaeb for carbon tetrachloride induced acute liver injury in rats

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of ethanol extract from the Herba Houttuyniaeb(EEHH) for carbon tetrachloride(CCl4) induced acute liver injury in rats.METHODSSD rats were divided into control group,model group,positive control group,high and low dose of EEHH groups,and were performed by intragastric administration with normal saline,EEHH and silibinin for 7d,respectively.In the last one day,these groups except control group were injected to peritoneal cavity with CCl4.Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alkaline phosphatase(ALP) were detected by automatic biochemistry analyzer,and the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT) and malondialdehyde(MDA) in liver homogenate were analyzed by using xanthinoxidase and thio-barbituric acid,respectively.RESULTSCompared with control group,serum levels of ALT,AST,ALP in model group were increased significantly.Compared with model group,serum levels of ALT,AST,ALP in high dose of EEHH group were decreased significantly,the level of SOD,CAT increased and MDA decreased in cytoplasm.CONCLUSIONThe EEHH has protective effects for CCl4 induced acute liver injury in rats.