[Therapeutic effect of TRQ on chronic liver injury model in rats induced by CCl4]

Rats were treated with CCl4 for 12 weeks to induce chronic liver injury. An administration of tritoqualine (TRQ) to rats was begun 3 weeks after the first CCl4 treatment, and the therapeutic effect of TRQ on this model was investigated. On the 12th week after CCl4 treatment, a marked increase in content of hydroxyproline and histamine in the liver was found. In addition, increased fibrosis around Glisson's sheath was observed under microscopic observation. The increase in these biochemical parameters was suppressed significantly in the rats administered TRQ at doses of 25-100 mg/kg. The histopathological observation demonstrated the suppression of the formation of pseudolobules with fibrinogenesis in the liver of TRQ administered rats. In addition, there was a noticeable improvement in the activity of the liver protein synthesis in the TRQ administered rats when the parameters that represented the hepatic functions were measured. Glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase in the serum of TRQ-administered rats also decreased significantly, compared with the CCl4 treated control rats. From these results, TRQ was shown to exhibit a marked therapeutic effect on liver damage accompanied by chronically accelerated fibrosis in rats which have been treated with CCl4 for 12 weeks.