Effect of fingerroot on reducing inflammatory cells in hamster infected with Opisthorchis viverrini and N-nitrosodimethylamine administration.

The active compound in fingerroot is effective in the treatment of many inflammatory diseases. The aim of our present study was to evaluate the efficacy of fingerroot on reducing histopathological changes in hamsters that were infected with the liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini or were administered N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and then treated with fingerroot. Light microscopic observation and liver function tests for alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and direct bilirubin were investigated. The results of histopathological changes show that fingerroot has anti-inflammatory properties--in the case of N-nitrosodimethylamine administration on day 30--by reducing the aggregation of inflammatory cells surrounding the hepatic bile ducts, which correlates with a decreased serum ALT level. The decrease of direct bilirubin levels in hamsters treated with fingerroot suggests that fingerroot may enhance biliary contraction. The present study found that fingerroot clearly reduces the inflammatory cells in hamsters that were administered NDMA, but not in the case of O. viverrini infection. This finding suggests that fingerroot has anti-inflammatory property, but not in the case of hamster opisthorchiasis.