Suppressive effects ofPlatycodon grandiflorum on the progress of carbon tetrachloride-lnduced hepatic fibrosis

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Abstract
The suppressive effects of Platycodi Radix (Changkil: CK), the root ofPlatycodon grandiflorum A. DC (Campanulaceae), on the progress of acute carbon tetrachloride (CCI4)-induced hepatic fibrosis were investigated in the rat. CK significantly suppressed CCI4-induced hepatic necrosis and inflammation, as determined by the serum enzymatic activities of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase and serum tumor necrosis factor-α levels, in dose-dependent manners. In addition, the increased hepatic fibrosis after acute CCI4 treatment was suppressed by the administration of CK. CK also significantly prevented the elevation of hepatic α1(l) procollagen (type I collagen) mRNA and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expressions in the liver of CCI4-intoxicated rats and also suppressed the induction of α-SMA and type l collagen in cultured hepatic stellate cells, in dose-dependent manners. These results suggest that the suppressive effects of CK against the progress of acute CCI4-induced hepatic fibrosis possibly involve mechanisms related to its ability to block both hepatic inflammation and the activation of hepatic stellate cells.

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