Hepatoprotective Effects of Yintian Granule on Experimental Liver Injury in Mice

Objective Yintian Granule (YTG), as a type of local preparation and applied for Chinese patent, is mainly composed of several traditional Chinese herbs used as both drug and food such as Lonicera macranthoides, Gardenia jasminoides, and Asparagus cochinchinenis, and has been reported to demonstrate the beneficial effects on human health in other researches. In this paper, the protective effects of YTG against experimental acute liver injury of mice were investigated to assess the value of this innovative Chinese herbal compound. Methods Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and 50% ethanol were used respectively to induce the acute liver injury model in mice pre-administered with YTG. Lai's method was used to detect the level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum, Coomassie brilliant blue method was used for the determination of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was used for the observation of liver histomorphometry. Results YTG significantly lowered the elevated ALT and AST levels, increased the SOD activity, decreased the MDA content, and inhibited the deterioration of liver. Conclusion YTG exerts protective effected against hepatocyte damage in mice induced by CCl4 and 50% ethanol, respectively.