We examined whether Saikokeishito extract (TJ-10), a traditional Japanese herbal medicine, exerts a
therapeutic effect on
alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT)-induced liver injury in rats through attenuation of enhanced neutrophil infiltration and oxidative stress in the liver tissue. In rats treated once with ANIT (75 mg/kg, i.p.), liver injury with
cholestasis occurred 24 h
after treatment and progressed at 48 h. When ANIT-treated rats orally received
TJ-10 (0.26, 1.3 or 2.6 g/kg) at 24 h after the treatment, progressive liver injury with
cholestasis was significantly attenuated at 48 h after the treatment at the dose of 1.3 or 2.6 g/kg. At 24 h after ANIT treatment, increases in hepatic
lipid peroxide and
reduced glutathione contents and
myeloperoxidase activity occurred with decreases in hepatic
superoxide dismutase and
glutathione reductase activities. At 48 h after ANIT treatment, these changes except for
reduced glutathione were enhanced with decreases in
catalase, Se-
glutathione peroxidase, and
glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities.
TJ-10 (1.3 or 2.6 g/kg) post-administered to ANIT-treated rats attenuated these changes found at 48 h after the treatment significantly. These results indicate that
TJ-10 exerts a
therapeutic effect on ANIT-induced liver injury in rats possibly through attenuation of enhanced neutrophil infiltration and oxidative stress in the liver tissue.