Studies on Protective Effect of Da-9601, Artemisia asiatica Extract, on Acetaminophen- and $CCI_{4}$induced Liver Damage in Rats

The hepatoprotective effect of DA-9601, a quality-controlled extract of artemisisa asiatica, on liver damage induced by acetaminophen (APAP) and carbon tetrachloride ($CCI_{4}$) was investigated by means of serum-biochemical, hepatic-biochemical, and histopathological examinations. Doses of Da-9601 (10, 30, or 100 mg/kg) were administered intragastrically to each rat on three consecutive days i.e. 48 h, 24 h and 2 h before a single administration of APAP (640 mg/kg, i.p.) or $CCI_{4}$ (2 ml/kg, p.o.). Four h and 24 h after hepatotoxin treatment, the animals were sacrificed for evaluation of liver damage. Pretreatment of Da-9601 reduced the elevation of serum ALT, AST. LDH and histopathological changes such as centrilobular necrosis, vacuolar degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration dose-dependently. Da-9601 also prevented APAP- and $CCI_{4}$-induced hepatic glutathione (GSH) depletion and $CCI_{4}$-induced increase of hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), a parameter of lipid peroxidation, in a chemically induced liver injury by complex mechanisms which involve prevention of lipid peroxidation and preservation of hepatic GSH.