Therapeutic effect of osthole on hyperlipidemic fatty liver in rats

Aim： To study the effects of osthole on hyperlipidemic fatty liver and investigate the possible mechanisms. Methods： A rat model with hyperlipidemic fatty liver was successfully established by feeding fatty milk for 6 weeks. The experimental rats were then treated with 5-20 mg/kg osthole for 6 weeks. The mouse hyperlipidemic model was induced by feeding fatty milk when they were treated with 10-20 mg/kg osthole for 3 weeks. Results： After treatment with osthole, the levels of rat serum total cholesterol （TC）, triglyceride （TG） and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol significantly decreased as compared with the fatty liver model group （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Hepatic weight and its coefficient, the hepatic tissue contents of TC, TG, and malondialdehyde, also significantly decreased （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. In fatty milk-induced hyperlipidemic mice, the post-heparin plasma activities of lipoprotein lipase （LPL）, hepatic lipase （HL）, and total lipase （TL） significantly increased after treatment with 10-20 mg/kg osthole for 3 weeks （P〈0.05 or P〈0.01）. Importantly, the histological evaluation of rat liver demonstrated that osthole dramatically decreased lipid accumulation （P〈0.01）. Conclusion： Osthole was found to have therapeutic effects on fatty milk-induced rat fatty liver; the mechanisms might be associated with its anti-oxidation and the elevation of the activities of LPL and HL.