OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effects of Xiaoyan Lidan Pian extract (XLP) on restraint stress induced liver injury in mice.

METHODSLiver injury mouse model was established by restraint stress. Sixty mice were equally divided into 6 groups, the normal control group, the model group, the Thiopronin group, and the three XLP groups treated with low (125 mg/kg), moderate (250 mg/kg) and high dose (500 mg/kg) XLP respectively. Effect of various treatments was evaluated by assessing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in plasma; malondialdehyde (MDA) content in liver by thiobarbituric acid method; content of nitric oxide (NO) by Griess chemical method; hepatic antioxidant capacity index (ORAC) by fluorescent enzyme immunoassay; glutathione (GSH) content by HPLC; activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX-Px) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) by colorimetry; activity of hepatic mitochondrial respiratory chain complex enzyme (MRCCE) by ultraviolet spectrophotometry; and contents of cytochrome a, b, c, and c1 by the redox differential spectra.

RESULTSAs compared with the model group, in the XLP groups, level of plasma ALT activity, liver content of MDA and NO, and contents of cytochromes were lower, while levels of ORAC index, GSH, GPX-Px and GST in liver, and MRCCE activity were higher.

CONCLUSIONXLP has definite protective effects on stressive liver injury in mice, which may be related to its action in alleviating the oxidative stress condition in mice.