PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL-STUDIES ON HEPATIC PROTECTIVE CRUDE DRUGS FROM TAIWAN-(V) - THE EFFECTS OF BOMBAX-MALABARICA AND SCUTELLARIA-RIVULARIS

Bombax malabarica DC and Scutellaria rivularis B. were extracted in boiling water and concentrated into 1 g/ml solution to investigate their hepatoprotective effect. Carbon tertrachloride (CCL4) was injected into rat subcutanously with a dose of 3.0 ml/kg to induce experimental acute hepatotoxicity in the animal. The activities of serum glumtamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamicpyruvic transaminase (SGPT) were measured after 72 hours of CCL4 administration. The hepatopathological changes of the liver tissue were observed simultaneosly with liver enzyme activities determination. The pharmacological effect of B. malabarica and S. rivularis of Taiwan was compared with that of the Bupleurum chinense from mainland China. B malabarica (p<0.001), S. rivularis (p<0.001) and B. chinense (p<0.05) all demonstrated a significant reduction in the CCL4-induced SGOT and SGPT. Pathological studies of these three drugs extracts demonstrated a marked hepato-protective effects on CCL4-induced liver fatty degeneration and cell necrosis.