Objective: To investigate effects of chronic ethanol
administration on
hepatic regeneration and the protection of Radix Salvia
Mitiorrhiae(RSM) on these effects of ethanol.Methods: 30 rats were divided into three groups:①pair-fed:10 rats were offered by standard rat-chow and water ad libitium;②ethanol-fed:10 rats were received the same diet as pair-fed rats except that ethanol was intragastrically administrated at 8-12g/kg. W/d for 6 weeks; ③ RSM-used group:4 weeks following the ethanol
administration as the ethanol group,RSM was used intraperitoneally at 12g/kg/d for 2 weeks simultaneously.All rats were performed a 70% hepatectomy and killed 24 hour later.Liver specimens were rapidly harvested for determination of liver regeneration and histological examination by Flow Cytometery(FCM) and light microscopy,respectively.Results:①The distribution of liver cell cycle:Percentage of G0/G1 phase was higher in ethanol group than in pair and RSM group.Peaks of S and G2M phases occurred obviously in pair and RSM groups;②Proliferative index(PI) and S phase fraction (SPF):The levels of PI and SPF stand for the proliferative capatcity of hepatocytes.PI and SPF were significantly lower in ethanol group than in pair and RSM groups ( P <0 05 and <0 01,respectively).There was no significant difference of PI and SPF between the pair and RSM group;③Pathology:Hepatocellular swelling and lipid droplet accumulation were more obvious in ethanol group than in pair and RSM groups.The karyokinesis of hepatocytes were hardly seen in ethanol group.Discussion: The results suggest that chronic ethanol administration can inhibit hepatocellular DNA synthesis and proliferative capacity.RSM can prevent heatocytes from alcoholic liver injury,increase liver regeneration capacity and reverse the inhibition of ethanol on liver regeneration.As the capacity of a patient to recover from a liver disease depends on the capacity of this liver to regenerate,impairment of liver cell renewal by ethanol could be a factor of major significance in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease(ALD).RSM can play a protective role on ALD in some extend.