고지방 식이에 의한 흰쥐의 지방간증에서 오미자 추출물의 간보호 효과

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to determine whether Schisandra chinensis (SC) has a protective effect on high fat diet (HFD)-induced fatty liver including hepatic lipid accumulation in rats. The HFD-induced obese rats were weighed after SC extracts were administered through the gastrointestinal tract at a concentration of 250 mg/kg b.w/day for 5 weeks. After 5 weeks, all of the rats on a high fat-diet were 36.5% heavier compared with normal controls. In contrast, rats on a high-fat diet supplemented with SC were 23.5% lighter than rats fed only a high-fat diet. Although there was no significant difference in food intake among the groups during the experimental diet period, the body weight gain of the SC group was significantly lower than the weights of the HFD groups. SC treatment slightly decreased the liver weight. Reduction of hepatic TBARS contents by SC was observed in rats fed a diet containing SC, and antioxidant activity was markedly increased in HFD＋SC group compared to those of HFD group in liver. Moreover, total-lipid and triglyceride contents in the liver of groups fed a diet containing SC were significantly lower compared to those of the HFD group. High fat feeding elevated liver cholesterol concentration, but the addition of SC to the HFD rats resulted in the significant decrease in liver cholesterol. In histological observation of liver tissues, the hepatocytes of HFD rats showed a typical fatty liver morphology showing numerous lipid droplets in cytoplasm, whereas administration of SC reduced the size and numbers of lipid droplets. These results clearly demonstrated the attenuation of SC on nonalcoholic fatty liver induced by obese rats fed HFD.