Protective Effect of Panax ginseng on TCDD-induced Liver Toxicity in Male Guinea Pigs

This study was carried out to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effect of Panax ginseng water extract (PG-WE) on the toxicity induced by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), one of the most notorious toxic environmental pollutants belonging to the group of polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons. Normal control (NC) group guinea pigs (180~200 g) received vehicle and saline, and TCDD-treated (TT) group was given TCDD and saline. P100 and P200 group animals received PG-WE for 28 days since 1 week before TCDD exposure at daily doses of 100 mg/kg b.w. and/or 200 mg/kg b.w., respectively. C100 and C200 group received PG-WE for 14 days starting 1 week after TCDD-exposure. Toxicity was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of TCDD (1 $\mu\textrm{g}$/kg b.w.). Abnormal increase in AST and ALT activities in TT group was significantly improved by the administration of PC-WE. Microscopically, there were mild to moderate swelling of hepatocytes, hyperchromatism of individual cells, acidophilic cytoplasm and cytoplasm vacuolation of some hepatocytes, slight to moderate variations of staining density, occasional single cell necrosis, variable size and shape of some hepatocytes, small groups of degenerating hepatocytes surrounded by mononuclear cells, dilated sinusoids of centrilobular zone and some loss of lobular architecture in TT group liver. From these results, we could find the protective and therapeutic role of PG-WE in TCDD-induced liver toxicity by examining the blood chemical parameters and histopathological observation.