Gamma irradiation-induced liver injury and its amelioration by red ginseng extract

초록

Radiation therapy is associated with liver damage and late liver injury. The hepatoprotective effect of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) was determined in whole-body gamma-irradiated (gamma IR) mice. KRG at a dose of 10 and 50 mg/kg body weight was administrated to male C57BL/6 mice (each group, n=5) intraperitoneally for five days before whole-body gamma IR (6.5 Gy). Three days after gamma IR, serum and liver tissue were collected and analysed. Pretreatment with KRG suppressed serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alkaline aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) activities. It also caused a marked increase in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and tumour growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) expression associated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) activation in the liver. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) were also activated by irradiation. KRG treatment before irradiation could strongly suppress COX-2, TGF-beta 1, and ERK activation in the liver. Pretreatment with KRG may alleviate the severity of radiation-induced liver injury and fibrosis.

키워드