Search

Objective: To study the influence of saikosaponins on function of rats' liver mitochondria, its liver damage mechanism was discussed., Method: Administrating alcohol eluent of saikosaponins of different dose for 15 days to rats, and the high, middle and low lose-group are separately 300, 150, 50 mg x kg(-1) caculated by total saikosaponins. The liver index in serum, the respiratory function of liver mitochondria,the content of ATP and the activity of ATP enzyme were detected. The weight of heart, liver, spleen, lung, renal of rats were precisionly weighed, and the ratio of organ to body were calculated. The histopathologic examination of hepatic tissue were examined., Result: Alcohol eluent of saikosaponins of different dose can induce apparent decrease of PCR, P/O value, respiratory oxygen consumption and the activity of ATP enzyme; the level of ALT, AST and ALB in serum increased; the liver weight and the ratio of liver to body increaseed, and the hepatic tissue damage is obvious in the histopathologic examination of hepatic tissue. The above-mentioned changes gradually aggravates with dose increasing, and it is obviously discrepancy compared with control group., Conclusion: Alcohol eluent of saikosaponins can induce liver damage by restraining the respiratory function of mitochondria and effecting liver's energy metabolism. Other hepatoxicity mechanism still need to be discussed.