Does red ginseng ameliorate liver damage caused by obstructive jaundice? : an experimental study

Aim: This experimental study aimed to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect on obstructive jaundice (OJ) of oral red ginseng (RG) extract, which is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Methods: The rats were randomly separated into 3 groups of 10 rats: the sham group, the control group, and the treatment group. In Group 1 (sham), the common bile duct (CBD) was identified but no ligation or transection was performed. In Group 2 (control), the CBD was identified and ligation and transection were performed, but no treatment was given. In Group 3 (RG group), CBD ligation and transection were performed, then RG extract was administered via an orogastric tube at a dose of 100 mg/ kg/day for 10 days. After 10 days, blood samples were taken for biochemical analysis, and liver tissue samples for biochemical and histopathological analysis. Results: Significantly higher serum albumin levels and lower serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were determined in the RG group than in the control group (p = 0.028, p = 0.001 and p = 0.034, respectively). In the oxidative stress parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and catalase (CAT) levels were significantly different between the RG group and control group (p = <0.001 for each). Total sulfhydryl (T-SH) was not at a statistically significant level, although it was high and approached the value of the sham group ( p = 0.076). In the histopathological evaluation, the RG group had statistically significantly lower scores in all parameters compared to the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that RG has a strong hepatoprotective effect as a result of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.