Sho-saiko-to, one of the most widely used Chinese
herbal preparations, has long been used for the treatment of chronic
liver diseases. We have investigated its effect in retarding the process of
liver fibrosis and accelerating liver regeneration, especially its effect on Ito cells that are thought to be deeply involved with
liver fibrosis.
Sho-saiko-to extract and its active constituents were orally administered to rats with
dimethylnitrosamine-induced liver-injury.
After treatment with
sho-saiko-to extract hepatic function improved, histopathological results confirmed repair of liver tissue, and
retinoid levels increased. On the other hand, when active constituents of
sho-saiko-to extract were administered alone, liver
retinoid levels remained low, implying that interaction among active constituents of the extract was suppressing Ito cell activation. When
sho-saiko-to extract was administered to 70% hepatectomized normal and liver-injured rats, liver weight, the number of S-phase-cells and
retinoid levels increased with time. However, these changes were different for normal and liver-injured rats, suggesting that the site of action of
sho-saiko-to extract in regenerating liver is different for normal and liver-injured rats. These results show that
sho-saiko-to extract was useful for suppressing the activation of Ito cells.