Chunggan extract (CGX), a traditional Korean herbal medicine, exerts hepatoprotective effects in a rat model of chronic alcohol consumption.

Chunggan extract, CGX, is a modification of a traditional herbal medicine that has been used for patients suffering from various liver disorders since 2001. Here, we investigated the hepatoprotective effects of CGX and its underlying mechanisms in a rat model of chronic alcohol consumption. Rats were orally administered 30% ethanol solution for 4 weeks with or without CGX (50, 100, 200 mg/kg). The histopathology, biochemistry, oxidative stress/antioxidant biomarkers, hepatofibrogenic cytokines, and serum endotoxin level were analyzed. Alcohol treatment markedly elevated the serum levels of aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and total reactive oxygen species, and tissue levels of hydroxyproline and malondialdehyde (MDA), while reducing the total glutathione (GSH) contents and the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase. These alterations were significantly attenuated by CGX treatment (mainly 100 and 200 mg/kg). CGX treatment normalized the elevation of fibrogenic cytokines, including transforming growth factor-β, platelet derived growth factor-β, and connective tissue growth factor in hepatic tissues and ameliorated the increase in serum endotoxin concentration. These results suggest that CGX protects liver tissue from alcohol injury through antioxidant actions and prevention of endotoxin reflux. .
(Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)