Hepatoprotective and hepatoregenerative therapeutic effects of polyherbal medicine Heparmin TM on Rattus norvegicus Wistar with liver fibrosis

Chronic injury severely impairs liver regeneration through excess inflammation, scarring and epithelial abnormalities, since injured cells may shift response from pro-regeneration into pro-fibrosis which leads to cirrhosis and total liver failure. An Indonesian registered polyherbal medicine, Heparmin TM , has been indicated as “hepatoprotector and helps healing liver disease”. It combines extracts of Curcuma xanthorrhiza, Nigella sativa, Kleinhovia hospita, Arcangelisia flava and Ophiocephalus striatus. In this report, using rats induced with iterative CCl 4 , we examined whether administration of sylimarin, l-ornithine l-aspartate or  Heparmin TM (at  37.8,  810, 315 mg/kgBW/d, respectively) modulate the development of liver fibrosis. Compared to other drugs, we showed that Heparmin TM was better as it (i) increases antioxidant enzyme activity, (ii) decreases oxidative stress (MDA) and inflammatory markers (AST, ALT), (iii)  improves  lipid profiles, (iv) normalizes liver metabolic function (bilirubin direct-indirect-total, ALP, albumin), (v) prevents fibrosis progression (liver histology, Ishak score), and (vi) activates hepatocyte regeneration based on BrdU staining