The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of
Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) on alcohol-induced liver damage in rats. A total of 36 rats were divided into control,
ethanol and
ethanol + LBP groups. Rats in the
ethanol group were fed 7 g
ethanol/kg
body weight by gastric infusion, three times a day, for 30 consecutive days, while rats in the control group received the same volume of physiological saline instead of
ethanol, and rats in
ethanol + LBP group were fed both
ethanol (7 g/kg
body weight) and LBP (300 mg/kg
body weight/day). Alcoholic liver injury was examined by serum ALT and AST activities,
alcoholic fatty liver was assessed by
lipid levels, and oxidative stress was evaluated by SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, GSH and MDA assays. In the
ethanol group, a significant elevation of
enzymes and
lipid in serum, increased MDA level and depletion of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px and GSH in liver were observed. LBP administration significantly ameliorated liver injury, prevented the progression of alcohol-induced
fatty liver, and improved the
antioxidant functions when compared with the
ethanol group. Histopathological examination of rat liver revealed that LBP administration protected liver cells from the damage induced by
ethanol. The results suggest that LBP is a promising agent to protect the liver from hepatotoxicity and
fatty liver induced by
ethanol intake.