[Hepatoprotective effects of chloroform extract from leaf of Terminalia catappa in relation to the inhibition of liver IL-6 expression].

OBJECTIVE

To study the hepatoprotective effects of Terminalia catappa chloroform extract (TCCE) and its effects on IL-6 gene over expression in liver of CCl4-treated mice.

METHOD: Mice were orally pretreated with TCCE (20, 50, 100 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1)) for 5 days, and the sALT activity of mice was detected 24 hours after the intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 on the 5 th day. Meanwhile, IL-6 mRNA level was determined by using the method of RT-PCR. And the liver morphological changes were also observed.

RESULT: sALT activity was remarkably increased (5.6 fold) after the injection of CCl4. However, with oral pretreatment of TCCE, changes in sALT were dose-dependently reversed. On the other hand, significant increase in IL-6 mRNA level induced by CCl4 was remarkably decreased. The level of IL-6 mRNA in 100 mg x kg(-1) TCCE treated mice was reversed to that of control. In addition, histological changes such as the infiltration of numerous inflammatory cells and hepatocyte swelling in injured mice were effectively lessened by the pretreatment of TCCE.

CONCLUSION

TCCE has hepatoprotective activity and the mechanisms underlying its protective effects may be related to the inhibition on the over expression of IL-6 gene in liver.