The Protective Effects Of Water Extract Of Periplaneta Americana On Immunological Liver Fibrosis In Rats

Objective To investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of water extract of Periplaneta Americana on immunological liver fibrosis in rats. Methods SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: normal control group, model group, water extract of Periplaneta americana(30 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg, 120 mg/kg) groups and positive control group(Colchicine 0.1 mg/kg). Hepatic fibrosis model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of pig serum, then the rats were treated with different concentrations of water extract of Periplaneta Americana during the modeling of liver fibrosis, normal and model rats were treated with equal dosage of saline. After 12 weeks of modeling, rats were weighed and sacrificed. The liver and spleen index were calculated, the level of ALT, AST, HA,LN,PCⅢ,CⅣ in serum and SOD,MDA,GSH-Px in liver tissues were tested. Additionally, liver samples collected after experiment were stained with hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, masson staining and scored. The expression of α-SMA and TGF-B1 in liver tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Results Compared with model group, the liver and spleen index, the level of ALT, AST, HA,LN,PCⅢ,CⅣ in serum and the content of MDA in liver tissue were decreased, the SOD and GSH-Px activity were increased in water extract of Periplaneta americana groups. Water extract of Periplaneta americana could ameliorate liver histopathological lesion of model rats. Moreover, water extract of Periplaneta americana could also decrease the protein expression of α-SMA and TGF-β1 in liver. Conclusion Water extract of Periplaneta Americana significantly reduces pig serum-induced liver fibrosis in rats, probably by its free-radical scavenging ability and decreasing the expression of TGF-β1.