• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2013

Korean red ginseng, the processed root of Panax ginseng Meyer, has been frequently used for various therapeutic purposes in oriental medicine. The present study investigated the possible effect of Korean red ginseng extract (RGE) for the treatment of liver fibrosis in mice injected with carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) for 4 wk. Liver injuries were assessed by blood biochemistry and histopathology in mice treated with $CCl_4$ alone or $CCl_4$+ RGE (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg). Concomitant treatment with RGE and $CCl_4$ (three times/wk for 4 wk) effectively inhibited liver fibrosis as evidenced by decreases in plasma alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, as well as by the percentages of degenerative regions, numbers of degenerative hepatocytes, and collagen accumulation in hepatic parenchyma. Treatment with $CCl_4$ for 4 wk increased mRNA levels of transforming growth factor ${\beta}1$ and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 in fibrogenic liver, whereas RGE (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg) significantly blocked the induction of fibrogenic genes by $CCl_4$. Similarly, RGE also prevented transforming growth factor ${\beta}1$-mediated induction of fibrogenic genes in human hepatic stellate cell lines. More importantly, RGE markedly reduced the number of ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin-positive cells in liver tissue. This study implies that RGE efficaciously protects against the liver fibrosis induced by chronic $CCl_4$ treatment, and may therefore have potential to treat liver disease.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.333-338
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• 2006

This study was to investigate the preventive effects in anti-oxidation of Ulva lactuca extract fractions (ULEF) against $CCl_4$ toxification in liver total homogenate and mitochondrial fraction of ULEF-pretreated and carbon tetrachloride $(CCl_4)-posttreated$ rats. ULEF was intraperitoneally administered into rats at dose of 1 ml/kg for14 days. On the day 15, 3.3 ml/kg of $CCl_4$ dissolved in olive oil (1:1) was injected 12 hr before anesthetization. Activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD) in mitochondrial fraction were measured and catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver total homogenate. SOD, CAI and GPx were higher in the ULEF-pretreated and $CCl_4-posttreated$ group than those in the $CCl_4-posttreated$ group, and the pretreatment of ULEF decreased MDA. These results showed that the pretreatment of ULEF had the preventive role in the activities of anti-oxidative enzymes, SOD, CAT and GPx

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.218-223
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• 2018

The liver is an essential organ for the detoxification of exogenous xenobiotics, drugs and toxic substances. The incidence rate of non-alcoholic liver injury increases due to dietary habit change and drug use increase. Our previous study demonstrated that Ecklonia stolonifera (ES) formulation has hepatoprotective effect against alcohol-induced liver injury in rat and tacrine-induced hepatotoxicity in HepG2 cells. This present study was designated to elucidate hepatoprotective effects of ES formulation against carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced liver injury in Sprague Dawley rat. Sixty rats were randomly divided into six groups. The rats were treated orally with ES formulation and silymarin (served as positive control, only 100 mg/kg/day) at a dose of 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg/day for 21 days. Seven days after treatment, liver injury was induced by intraperitoneal injection of $CCl_4$ (1.5 ml/kg, twice a week for 14 days). The administration of $CCl_4$ exhibited significant elevation of hepatic enzymes (like AST and ALT), and decrease of antioxidant related enzymes (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase) and glutathione. Then, it leaded to DNA damages (8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine) and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde). Administration of ES formulation inhibited imbalance of above factors compared to $CCl_4$ induced rat in a dose dependent manner. Real time PCR analysis indicates that CYP2E1 was upregulated in $CCl_4$ induced rat. However, increased gene expression was compromised by ES formulation treatment. These findings suggests that ES formulation could protect hepatotoxicity caused by $CCl_4$ via two pathways: elevation of antioxidant enzymes and normalization of CYP2E1 enzyme.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.84-89
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• 1996

The adsorption characteristics of active carbon used as a cartridge filler of organic vapor respirator were examined by humidity, particle size, challenge concentration and specific surface area. As a result, the 1% breakthrough time of Carbon Tetrachloride($CCl_4$) was decreased with increase of relative humidity, challenge concentration and particle size (0.6～2.0mm) of active carbon. The adsorbed amount of $CCl_4$ was about 1. 1mg/$m^2$ at RH 40% and 0. 5mg/$m^2$ at RH 80% . However in the case of prehumidified active carbon, humidity did not affected to 1% breakthrough time up to RH 40%.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.100-109
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• 1994

In this study, it is investigated that the possibility of the numerical simulation for the incineration of the hazardous material, crbon tetrachloride($CCl_4$). A 3-dimensional numerical technology is applied for turbulent reacting flows of the full-scale Dow Chemical incinerator. The calculations are made by a CRAY-2S, super computer. The major parameters considered in this study are kiln revolution rate (rpm), filling ratio of the solid waste(f), burner Injection velocity and angle, and turbulent air jets for swirl. And the employed turbulent reaction model is the eddy break-up model which is a kind of fast chemistry model assuming general equilibrium and used for a premixed flame. The calculated flow fields are presented and discussed. 1) The presence of turbulent air nozzles for swirl gives rise to visible increase of the convective motion over the region of the solid waste. This implies the possibility to enhance the mixing of the waste with the surrounding all and thereby to reduce thermal and species stratification, which were reported in a large rotary kiln operation. 2) Considering that the location of the recirculation region has a strong relation with the heating rate of the solid waste, the control of the recirculation region by the burner injection angle Is quite desirable in the sense of the flexible design of the rotary kiln incinerator for a carbon tetrachloride. 3) Finally, it is found that the eddy break-up model Is not suitable for carbon tetrachloride($CCl_4$) because this model is not incorporated the flame inhibition trend due to the presence $CCl_4$compound.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1238-1244
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• 2004

The suppressive effects of Platycodi Radix (Changkil: CK), the root of Platycodon grandiflorum A. DC (Campanulaceae), on the progress of acute carbon tetrachloride $(CCl_4)$-induced hepatic fibrosis were investigated in the rat. CK significantly suppressed $(CCl_4)$-induced hepatic necrosis and inflammation, as determined by the serum enzymatic activities of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase and serum tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ levels, in dose-dependent manners. In addition, the increased hepatic fibrosis after acute $(CCl_4)$ treatment was suppressed by the administration of CK. CK also significantly prevented the elevation of hepatic ${\alpha}$ 1(I) procollagen (type I collagen) mRNA and ${\alpha}$ -smooth muscle actin (${\alpha}$ -SMA) expressions in the liver of $(CCl_4)$-intoxicated rats and also suppressed the induction of ${\alpha}$ -SMA and type I collagen in cultured hepatic stellate cells, in dose-dependent manners. These results suggest that the suppressive effects of CK against the progress of acute $(CCl_4)$-induced hepatic fibrosis possibly involve mechanisms related to its ability to block both hepatic inflammation and the activation of hepatic stellate cells.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.206-213
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• 2005

This experiment was conducted to find out the therapeutic effect of Artemisia capillaris extracts on hepatic damage in rats induced by carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_{4}$). In this experiment, 96 Sprague-Dawley rats were used as experimental groups, which were divided into 4 groups; control group(A), $CCl_{4}$-treated group(B), $CCl_{4}$+Artemisia extract-treated group(C) and $CCl_{4}$+silymarin-treated group(D). The B, C, D group were administrated single dose of $CCl_{4}$(2.5 ml/kg) to induce acute hepatic injury. C group was administrated with Artemisia capillaris extract(200 mg/kg/day) and D group treated with silymarin(50 mg/kg/day) for 7 days. Hematological, ultrasonographical, histological examinations and examination of antioxidant activity were also performed in all groups. AST and ALT activities of C group were significantly decreased compared with B group. The activities of AST and ALT in C and D groups returned to the normal range more rapidly than those of B group. In ultrasonographic examination, the echogenicity of liver in C group was significantly decreased compared with B group. Also C and D group had tended to recover faster than B group on liver histogram. Histologically, the percentage of degenerative regions and degenerative cell numbers in peri-central vein hepatic parenchyma of C and D group were significantly decreased compared with B group. In examination of lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde of hepatic tissue in C group was decreased as compared with B group. In examination of antioxidant enzyme activity in liver, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities were significantly increased compared with B group. As results of this study, it is thought that A. capillaris extract has therapeutic effects on hepatic injury induced by carbon tetrachloride, and has the similar therapeutic effects as silymarin in rats.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2010

Inonotus obliquus is one of the immune-regulatory substances and is recognized to play the role in the metabolic process of inflammation, allergy and immuntiy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of water extracts of Inonotus obliquus (IOW) on the liver lymphocyte immune function in the Sprague-Dawley male rats treated with carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) to induce liver damage. Rats were fed with each experimental diet and water for 4 weeks. We found that effects of IOW on interferon-gamma (IFN-$\gamma$), signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), phospho-signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (pSTAT1) and GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA-3) were decrease in vivo. Interleukin-4 (IL-4), STAT6, pSTAT6 and T-box expressed in T-cells (T-bet) decreased significantly lower in $CCl_4$+IOW group than the $CCl_4$ group. Our data indicated that cytokine protein production were increased in $CCl_4$ group and $CCl_4$+IOW group. As a result of this study, we assume that IOW fed could regulate the immuno-modulating functions through regulate the cytokine production capacity activated by liver damage.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.247-252
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• 1995

To evaluate the effect of xanthine oxidase on liver injury by $CCl_4$, liver damage was induced both in allopurinol pretreated rats (500 mg/kg. ip) and control group by twice intraperitoneal injection of $CCl_4$ (0.1 ml/100 g body wt. 50% in olive oil) at interval of one day. Increases in the levels of serum alanine aminotransferase and liver weight/body weight (%) by $CCl_4$ were significantly smaller inallopurinol pretreated rats than in control whereas the hepatic microsomal glucose-6-pholphatase activities were significantly higher in allopurinol pretreated rats than control group by $CCl_4$ treatment. These results indicates that allopurinol pretreatment may reduce the liver damage in $CCl_4$ intoxicated rats. In rats either with $CCl_4$or not, hepatic type O xanthine oxidase activities were significantly reduced by allopurinol pretreatment and the increasing rate of these enzymes to each control was remarkably lower in allopurinol pretreated rats than control. Liver cytosolic protein contents and aniline hydroxylase, aminopyrine demethylase activities were higher in allopurinol pretreated rats than coirol rats when animals were treated with $CCl_4$. On the other hand, neither allopurinol pretreated nor $CCl_4$ treatment caused any significant changes in hepatic superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. Hepatic glutathione contents were higher in $CCl_4$-treated rats than control, but no significant changes were found in both between the allopurinol treated rats and $CCl_4$-treated rats pretreated with allopurinol, and glutathione and glutathione S-transferase activities were significantly reduced in $CCl_4$-treated rats than control whereas these enzyme activities showed on significant change in both between allopurinel treated and $CCl_4$-treated rats pretreated with allopurinol. It is concluded that xanthine oxidase reaction system augment $CCl_4$ induced liver injury via even oxygen free radical system.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.251-258
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• 2015

Curcumin, a major polyphenolic compound of turmeric, is well known to prevent non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) related to obesity. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of curcumin on hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) in obese mice. $CCl_4$ was administrated in mice fed a normal diet (ND) or a high fat diet (HFD) for 7 weeks together with or without curcumin. It was conducted to examine for metabolic profiles, adipocyte size, and liver fibrosis by serum biochemistry, histology and immunohistochemistry. Also, Apoptosis of hepatic cells was determined by the TUNEL method. Treatment with curcumin significantly lowered the body weight, fasting glucose, serum AST and ALT, and decreased the adipocyte size, the number of macrophage and mast cells in adipose tissue, and collagen deposition in liver tissue in the HFD+$CCl_4$ group compared with the findings of the HFD+$CCl_4$ group. In contrast, treatment with curcumin on the ND+$CCl_4$ group did not show a significant difference except the body weight and mast cell number when compared with the ND+$CCl_4$ group. Furthermore, curcumin significantly reduced the number of parenchymal apoptotic cells, whereas it increased the number of non-parenchymal apoptotic cells, especially resembling an activated hepatic stellate cell in the liver. Taken together, this data suggests that curcumin might be an effective antifibrotic drug for the prevention of liver disease progression in obese mice. Thus, the development of curcumin as a therapy for obesity and liver fibrosis is supported.