Therapeutic efficacy of a extract in a rat model of hepatocellular carcinoma: Histopathological aspects.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is most common in adults and has a high mortality rate because of a lack of effective treatment options. We investigated the effect of a medicinal plant as a potential source of drugs against HCC. The rhizomes of Pierre (DM), Hua-Khao-Yen in Thai, are commonly used as ingredients for alternative treatment of cancer in Thailand.

Anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative effects of Benja-ummarit extract in rats with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The herbal extract Benja-ummarit (BU) is a traditional Thai medicine with a putative cancer-suppressing effect. However, this effect has only been tested in human hepatocarcinoma cell lines. The present study determined the efficacy of a BU extract to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats and established its anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative properties.

Protective effect of alpha-mangostin on thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats as revealed by morpho-functional analysis.

Liver fibrosis is an excessive accumulation of scar tissue resulting from inflammation and cell death. Thioacetamide (TAA) is a well-known hepatotoxin that induces liver fibrosis. A marker of injured hepatocytes is transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), while alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP-1) are markers of activated hepatic stellate cells.