hypericum and Cholestasis--Intrahepatic

To investigate the hepatoprotective activity of different parts of Hypericum japonicum against carbon tetrachloride(CCl(4))-induced hepatitis and alpha-naphthyl-isothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced cholestasis.. Mice were divided into groups and then administrated orally with solutions extracted from herbs before they were modeled in the experiments. Levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and total bilirubin (T-BIL) in serum were evaluated. HPLC fingerprint was used for phytochemical analysis of the extracts.. The total aqueous extract of Hypericum japonicum had an obvious effect on the decreasing of AST, ALT and T-BIL levels in serum. The isolated fraction IV (F4) exhibited a preferable activity of ameliorating cholestasis, while Fraction V (F5) was more efficacious in protecting liver from injury. Chemical fingerprint indicated that F5 contained several flavonoids which might be the active chemicals against hepatotoxicity.. Different fractions of Hypericum japonicum manifest different effect, indicating their different potentials as candidacies of new drugs.

Topics: Alanine Transaminase; Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases; Carbon Tetrachloride; Cholestasis, Intrahepatic; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Female; Hypericum; Liver; Male; Mice; Plant Extracts; Protective Agents