Effects of Glycyrrhizae Radix on Acetaminophen-induced Hepatotoxicity in Mice

In order to study if Glycyrrhizae Radix (GR) has protective effects on hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen in mouse, one of the species which are sensitive to acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity, effects of GR on liver weight to body weight ratio, serum alanine and aspartate transaminase (ALT and AST) activities, hepatic UDP-GT2 activity, and histopathologic changes were determined in acetaminophen-treated mice. Liver weight to body weight ratio and UDP-GT2 activity in mouse liver were not altered by GR. However, GR pretreatment lowered serum ALT and AST activities by 77% and 90% respectively, and diminished the degree of centrilobular necrosis caused by acetaminophen in liver as determined by histopathologic observation. These results suggest a possible protective effect of GR against the acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in mice.