HOU Yijie, ZHOU Hongbing, WANG Jia, CHANG Hong, FAN Liya, XIN Kun, BAI Wanfu, SHI Songli
Objective: To investigate the protective effect of Amygdalus mongolica oil on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats. Methods: Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal control group (CON), a hepatic fibrosis model group (MOD), and low, medium, and high dose Amygdalus mongolica oil groups (OIL-L/M/H,2.5, 5.0, 7.5 g/kg·d). The hepatic fibrosis model was induced by subcutaneous injection of CCl4 (40% v/v, 5 mL/kg, twice weekly) for 8 weeks. The drug groups were simultaneously administered via intragastric gavage. After the experiment, serum ALT, AST, ALP activities, hepatic fibrosis markers (COL-Ⅲ, COL-Ⅳ, HA, LN), fibrosis regulatory factors (TGF-β, TNF-α), and liver tissue hydroxyproline (HYP) content were measured. Histopathological assessment was performed using HE/Masson staining combined with Ishak pathological scoring. One-way ANOVA and LSD tests were used to examine differences between groups (P＜0.05 indicated statistically significant differences). Results: Compared with the CON group, the activities of ALT, AST, ALP, liver fibrosis markers (COL-Ⅲ, COL-Ⅳ, HA, LN), fibrosis regulatory factors (TGF-β, TNF-α) and hydroxyproline (HYP) content in liver tissue were significantly increased in the MOD group (P＜0.01). The results of pathological sections showed that the MOD group had extensive bridging fiber septum and pseudolobule formation. After Amygdalus mongolica oil intervention, hepatic fibrosis significantly improved, especially in the OIL-M group (5.0 g/kg), which showed the most significant improvement; liver function injury markers, fibrosis indicators, and inflammatory factors were all significantly improved (all P＜0.01). Conclusion: Amygdalus mongolica oil has a protective effect against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats, with the 5.0 g/kg dose showing the optimal therapeutic effect.
