- 期刊
菱角殼水萃取物減緩肝臟纖維化功效之探討
Study on the efficacy of water extract of Trapa Taiwanensis Nakai shells in alleviating liver fibrosis
摘要
肝臟為人體重要代謝器官之一，當受到活性氧化物或病毒攻擊時，容易引起肝炎等疾病。近期研究顯示，菱角殼萃取物具有高度抗氧化能力，在傳統醫學中也被作為護肝之用。為分析菱角殼萃取物在肝臟之修護作用，試驗應用肝纖維化模式小鼠B6;129S5-Ace2^(tm1Lex)/Mmcd，以CCl_4誘導肝纖維化，再檢測菱角殼沸水萃取物對肝纖維化之抑制效果。8星期試驗期間每星期固定餵食2次50% CCl_4／橄欖油，每次2 mL/kg體重（body weight, BW）；每天餵食小鼠125 mg/kg BW菱角殼萃取物。DPPH試驗結果，菱角殼萃取物具有清除自由基能力，且具濃度效應。在生理學及病理學之動物試驗顯示，餵食菱角殼萃取物之小鼠具有改善肝臟發炎及肝纖維化情形。在血清學分析中，天冬氨酸轉氨酶（AST）和丙氨酸轉氨酶（ALT）濃度皆下降，顯示肝損傷情況獲得改善。餵食CCl_4與菱角殼萃取物對於SOD及CAT在肝臟中的酵素活性影響不顯著。mRNA基因表現檢測顯示，肝纖維化相關之因子，包括Tnf、Il6、Ccl2及Ccl5明顯受到抑制，表示菱角殼萃取物具有抑制肝臟發炎反應之功效。分析肝臟中α-SMA發現，菱角殼萃取物顯著抑制經CCl4誘導的α-SMA表現，推測其可抑制肝臟中肝星狀細胞之活化，進而避免纖維母細胞產生。試驗結果顯示菱角殼萃取物可有效保護受損之肝臟，尤其以低利用價值之農業副產物開發作為高附加價值之保健食品或營養添加劑等，具有深厚商業潛力。
並列摘要
The liver is one of the most important metabolic organs in the body and easily causes diseases such as hepatitis when attacked by reactive oxides or viruses. Recent studies had shown that water chestnut shell extract exhibited high antioxidant capacity and was used as a traditional medicine for liver protection. To analyze the liver repairing effect of Trapa Taiwanensis Nakai shell extract (HWETT), the liver fibrosis model mice, B6;129S5-Ace2^(tm1Lex)/Mmcd, was used to induce liver fibrosis with CCl_4. The inhibitory effect of HWETT on liver fibrosis was analyzed. During the 8-week experiment, 50% CCl_4/olive oil was fed twice a week, with 2 mL/kg BW (body weight) each time; the HWETT was fed every day, with 125 mg/kg BW each time. The DPPH test showed that the HWETT was able to scavenge free radicals in a dose-dependent manner. Based on physiological and pathological analyses, after being fed with HWETT, mice exhibited improved liver inflammation and liver fibrosis. In serological analysis, both AST and ALT concentrations decreased, but the groups fed with CCl_4 and HWETT had no significant effect on liver SOD and CAT activities. Based on the gene expression analysis, the significantly inhibitory effects of Tnf, Il6, Ccl2, and Ccl5 indicates that HWETT was effective in inhibiting liver inflammation. By analyzing liver protein expression, it was found that HWETT significantly inhibited the expression of α-SMA induced by CCl_4. Thus, it is speculated that HWETT effectively inhibits the CCl_4-activated hepatic stellate cells and prevents liver fibroblasts. Based on the observed effectiveness of HWETT in protection of damaged liver, water chestnut shells, previously regarded as a low-valued agricultural by-product, bear commercial potential to be used for the development of health foods or nutraceuticals.