Hepatoprotective effect of Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall. on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats

Tibetan medicine Herpetospermum caudigerum Wall. (HCW) has long been employed to treat hepatitis, inflammatory diseases and jaundice according to the records of The Four Medical Tantras in China. This study was investigated to explore the protective effects of HCW on hepatic fibrosis and the possible mechanism in a rat model. Hepatic fibrosis was established by intragastric administration of 3ml/kg carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) twice a week for 6weeks. CCl4-treated rats were received HCW (1 and 3g/kg/d) and silymarin (0.1g/kg/d) from 3 to 6weeks. The results showed that HCW could significantly decrease the levels of AST, ALT, HA, LN, PCIII, Col IV, TNF-, IL-1 and IL-6. Moreover, HCW could effectively inhibit collagen deposition and reduce the pathological damage. Analysis experiments finally exhibited that HCW was able to markedly inhibit hepatic fibrosis by modulating the expressions of NF-B p65, IB, Samd3 and TGF-1 proteins. Therefore, our results suggest that HCW has hepatoprotective activity against CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats by regulating the inflammatory responses.