Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CHINESE MEDICINE
Volume 42, Issue 4, Pages 833-852Publisher
WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUBL CO PTE LTD
DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X14500530
Keywords
Ocimum gratissimum; Oxidative Stress; Liver Fibrosis; alpha-SMA; Collagen alpha; Hepatic Stellate Cells
Funding
- National Science Council, Republic of China [NSC 98-2320-B-039-042-MY3, NSC 99-2632-B-039-001-MY3]
- Taiwan Department of Health Clinical Trial and Research Center of Excellence [DOH102-TD-B-111-004, DOH102-TD-C-111-005]
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Ocimum gratissimum is a traditional herb commonly found in tropical regions, which prevents free radical damage and protects the liver from oxidative stress. In this study, we tested in vivo and in vitro the effectiveness of O. gratissimum extracts (OGEs) in anti-hepatic fibrosis in rats. Male Wistar rats were administered with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) by intraperitoneal injection and varying amounts of oral injection of OGE doses (0-40 mg/kg body weight) for 8 weeks. Our experiments showed that OGE significantly reduced liver damage, including steatosis and fibrosis, in a dose-dependent manner, as well as significantly decreased the elevation in plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT). It also inhibited the formation of lipid peroxidative products during CCl4 treatment. Moreover, OGE-inhibited CCl4-induced liver collagen accumulation and promoted the expression of catalase, an anti-oxidative enzyme. The inhibition of fibrosis factors alpha-SMA expression was also observed. In primary cultures, OGE significantly inhibited the serum-induced activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and the expression of alpha-SMA and collagen alpha (I). These data suggest that O. gratissimum possesses anti-hepatic fibrosis properties via its anti-oxidative components.
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