Protective Effects of Chlorogenic Acid on Lipopolysaccharide-induced Chronic Liver Injury in Rats

Rats were randomly divided into the model group and chlorogenic aid(CGA)-supplemented group, and at the 28 th day the rats were sacrificed. The growth performance, liver weight and liver index of each rat were analyzed. The activities of alanine aminotransferase(ALT), aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and alkaline phosphatase(ALP) and the contents of total bilirubin(TBIL) and total protein(TP) in serum were assayed. Hepatic pathological changes were observed by HE staining method. The activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and the malondialdehyde(MDA) content in liver were determined. Compared with the model group, the finish body weight, average daily gain and food efficiency ratio(FER), liver weight and liver index in CGA-supplemented group were significantly decreased(P0.05). The activities of ALT, AST, ALP and the level of TBIL in serum declined significantly(P0.05 or P0.01), and the declining rates were 12%, 13%, 17% and 50%, respectively. TP content in serum and SOD activity in liver were significantly increased(P0.01 or P0.05), and the increasing rate was 17% and 23%, respectively. MDA content in liver declined significantly(P0.05), and the declining rate was 33%. HE staining indicated that the hepatic pathological injury in CGA-supplemented group was attenuated. Therefore, CGA has a protective effect on chronic liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide.