背景:补充医学是从各种植物和动物来源提取生物活性化合物的有趣领域。研究了一种海参的甲醇提取物在二甲基亚硝胺(DMN)引起的肝癌动物模型中的肝保护作用。
方法:Wistar雌性大鼠随机分为5组(n=12):对照组(完整),阳性对照(接受1%DMN[10mg/kg/周,腹膜内]持续12周),和三个治疗组(接受50、100和200mg/kg/天的H.leucospilota提取物口服12周,并腹膜内施用1%DMN[10mg/kg/周])。在所有组中,每周对肝脏进行超声检查以检查其密度。进行了三次采血和肝脏隔离,在第4、8和12周,检查肝酶和肝组织的组织病理学状况(每周,随机选择每组四只动物)。
结果:从第8周开始,阳性对照组的肝密度变化明显。组织病理学结果显示阳性对照组在4周后有病理变化。阳性对照组肝酶升高与治疗组和对照组有显著性差异。
结论:我们使用生化和组织学参数以及超声检查证明了H.leucospliota对DMN诱导的大鼠肝损伤的保护作用。需要更多的额外研究(计算机模拟或体外)来找到H.leucospliota的确切机制和主要生物化合物。
BACKGROUND: Complementary medicine is an interesting field for extracting bioactive compounds from various plant and animal sources. The hepatoprotective effect of the methanolic extract of a species of sea cucumber called Holothuria leucospilota in an animal model of liver cancer caused by dimethyl nitrosamine (DMN) was studied.
METHODS: Wistar female rats were randomly divided into five groups (n = 12): control (intact), positive control (received 1% DMN [10 mg/kg/week, intraperitoneally] for 12 weeks), and three treatment groups (received 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg/day H. leucospilota extract orally for 12 weeks along with intraperitoneal administration of 1% DMN [10 mg/kg/week]). In all groups, ultrasound was performed on the liver every week to check its density. Blood sampling and liver isolation were performed on three occasions, at 4, 8, and 12 weeks, to check liver enzymes and the histopathological condition of the liver tissue (every week, four animals from each group were randomly selected).
RESULTS: Liver density changes were evident from the eighth week onward in the positive control group. Histopathological results indicated pathologic changes in the positive control group after 4 weeks. The increase in liver enzymes in the positive control group was significantly different from that in the treatment and control groups.
CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated the hepatoprotective effect of H. leucospilota on DMN-induced liver damage in rats using biochemical and histological parameters and ultrasonography. More additional research (in silico or in vitro) is needed to find the exact mechanism and the main biological compound in H. leucospilota.