Herb medicine Yin-Chen-Hao-Tang ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in bile duct ligation rats

The accumulation of hydrophilic bile acids in the liver is considered to play a pivotal role in the induction of hepatic injury. Yin-Chen-Hao-Tang (YCHT) decoction is an aqueous extract from three different herbs: Artemisia capillaries Thunb (Compositae), Gardenia jasminoides Ellis (Rubiaceae), Rheum officinale Baill (Polygonaceae), which has been recognized as a hepatoprotective agent for various types of liver diseases. Therefore, we used an experimental of biliary atresia model to test that YCHT plays a regulatory role in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis. Hepatic damage with fibrosis was produced by common bile duct ligation (BDL) for 27 days in experimental cholestasis animal model. After surgery, YCHT (250 and 500 mg/kg BW) oral administration once a day continued for 27 days. BDL caused a prominent liver collagen deposition that was supported by the increased α-SMA protein and mRNA expression of procollagen I. YCHT significantly decreased hepatic α-SMA protein levels and decreased in hydroxyproline and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels of BDL rats. On the other hand, the normalizing effect of YCHT (250 mg/kg) on the TGF-β1 mRNA expression was independent on the dose of YCHT, 500 mg/kg was not effectively changed the quantitative composition of mRNA levels. The study shows that hepatic hydroxyproline accumulation caused by hydrophilic bile acids accompanied by elevated hepatic lipid peroxidation, and hepatic collagen levels can be decreased in the presence of YCHT. In conclusion, long-term administration of YCHT in rats ameliorated the hydropholic bile acids induced hepatic injury that probably related to a reduced oxidant stress and degree of hepatic fibrosis.