Protective effects of water extract of clam on normal and CCl₄-induced damage in primary cultured rat hepatocytes.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of various concentrations and incubation times of water extract of clam (WEC) on glutathione, its antioxidant and the detoxification defense systems in normal and CCl₄-induced oxidative damaged primary rat hepatocytes. This study showed that when the hepatocytes were treated with WEC (0.14 ~ 1.68 mg/ml), the intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels, GSH/GSSG ratio, and the activities of GSH-related enzymes (GPx, GRd, and GST) were higher than those in the control at 24 or 48 hour treatments. However, the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage and microscopic observations did not differ from those of the control. Yet, when the hepatocytes were pretreated with various concentrations of WEC for 24 hours and then exposed to 5 mM carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) for 1 hour, at concentrations of WEC between 0.42 ~ 1.68 mg/ml, the viabilities, intracellular GSH level, and activities of GST and GPx were significantly increased compared to those of the CCl₄-treated control group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, WEC could improve the viability and the capabilities of detoxification and antioxidation in hepatocytes by increasing the GSH level and the activities of GSH-related enzymes.