Suppressive effects of Platycodon grandiflorum on the progress of carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis

The suppressive effects of Platycodi Radix (Changkil: CK), the root of Platycodon grandiflorum A. DC (Campanulaceae), on the progress of acute carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis were investigated in the rat. CK significantly suppressed CCl4-induced hepatic necrosis and inflammation, as determined by the serum enzymatic activities of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase and serum tumor necrosis factor-a levels, in dose-dependent manners. In addition, the increased hepatic fibrosis after acute CCl4 treatment was suppressed by the administration of CK. CK also significantly prevented the elevation of hepatic alpha1 (I) procollagen (type I collagen) mRNA and alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) expressions in the liver of CCl4-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 CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis possibly involve mechanisms related to its ability to block both hepatic inflammation and the activation of hepatic stellate cells.