Abstract
These studies were attempted to investigate the preventive effect of Ganoderma lucidum extract administered concurrently with glutathione on the liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$) in rats. S-GOT and S-GPT activities of all the pre-treatment groups were significantly decreased, as compared with those of the control intoxicated by $CCl_4$. The concurrent administrations of Ganoderma lucidum extract with glutathione (100+100mg/kg, 200+100mg/kg, and 400+100mg/kg, respectively) were more effective than the individual administrations. i.e., Ganaderma lucidtcm extract (100, 200 and 400mg/kg, respectively) and glutathione (100, 200 and 400mg/kg, respectively). On the determination of lipid-peroxidation in liver, the concurrent administrations of Ganoderma lucidum extract with glutathione (100+100mg/kg, and 200+100mg/kg, respectively) significantly reduced the liver TBA values. Although hepatic cellular necrosis and fatty acid deposit were remarkably increased by $CCl_4$ intoxication, the concurrent administration of Ganoderma lucidum extract with glutathione (200+100mg/kg) reduced the pathological changes of parenchymal cell necrosis and fatty changes around centrilobalar area of the control. These findings indicate that the concurrent administrations of Ganoderma lucidum extract with glutathione showed better improvements than the individual administrations of them in all pathological aspects, in particular, against hepatitis and hepatic necrosis due to the cellular necrosis and fatty infiltration.