Abstract:  To study the protective effect of gegecha (GGC) on liver injury in mice and to provide experimental basis for study on pharmacological effects of GGC.Methods 30 ICR mice were randomly divided into  blank group,vitamin(VC) group and  GGC group(100 mL•kg^-1),and all of the mice were treated once a day for 3 d.1 h after the last administration,all mice were intragastrically given with acetaminophen 1 000　mg•kg-¹.24 h later, the  number of dead mice was recorded in each group and the mortality was calculated.Another 60 ICR mice were randomly divided into control group,model group,VC group,and low,middle,and high doses of GGC groups,and there were 10 mice in each group.The mice in control group and model group were intragastrically given with distilled water,the mice in VC group were intragastrically given with VC (1 000 mg•kg^-1),the mice in GGC groups were intragastrically given with different doses of GGC(50,100,200 mL•kg^-1).All of the mice were treated once a day for 7 d.5 h after the last administration,the mice were intragastrically given with 500 mg•kg^-1  acetaminophen,except control group;24 h later,all of the mice were killed and the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured according to kit introduction.The liver weights of donor were weighed,and the pathological changes of liver tissues were examined by HE staining method.The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was measured by  xanthin oxidase method and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) was measured by  thiobarbituric acid　method.Results The mortality in  blank group was 80%,40% in VC group,and 50% in  GGC(100 mL•kg^-1) group.The protective rates of VC and GGC in dead mice induced by acetaminophen were 50% and 40%,respectively.The liver quotient  of mice in  model group was increased compared with control　 group(P<0.01),and the liver quotients of mice in  middle and high doses of GGC group were lower that in  control group(P<0.05). Compared with model group,the serum AST and ALT levels in mice  with iver injury were  significantly reduced in GGC groups,and showed a significant dose-dependent relationship.Compared with model group,the serum levels of AST,ALT and MDA were decreased (P<0.05),the SOD activities were increased in GGC groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01).The HE staining results showed that  liver cells were swelling and there was a large area of inflammatory infiltration in model group,while in GGC groups,the liver inflammatory infiltration was reduced with the increasing of GGC dose,and the effect of 200 mg•kg-1 GGC  was most obvious.Conclusion GGC has significantly protective effect on liver tissues in mouse liver injury models induced by acetaminophen,and the protective effect of GGC on liver tissues is more obvious with the increasing of GGC dose.
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Key words: Gegencha, acetaminophen, acute liver injury, liver protection