茜草作为传统中药自古以来有广泛地应用而且被列于中国药典中来治疗多种疾病。评价以水蒸气蒸馏提取法分离所得茜草精油对于四氯化碳介导的肝损伤的保肝作用。CCl4处理前，茜草精油以100、200和400 mg/kg一天一次给予小鼠灌胃处理共计21 d。结果如下：CCl4处理导致小鼠血清中各类指标（丙氨酸转氨酶ALT，天冬氨酸转氨酶AST，总胆固醇TC和总甘油三酯TG等）升高，精油给药后均呈现一定的剂量依赖方式的趋于正常水平。精油处理组小鼠的肝脏和脾脏指数及抗氧化体系中的CAT、GSH和SOD水平与正常组接近。上述各指标测定结合肝脏的组织病理学切片结果表明：茜草精油对CCl4介导的小鼠肝损伤具有一定的保护效果，功效甚至与参考药物联苯双酯相当。本研究表明茜草精油可对抗CCl4介导的肝损伤，其可用作一种有潜力的保肝活性药物。

Rubia cordifolia Linn (Rubiaceae) has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for centuries and is officially listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia for the treatment of diverse diseases. The hepatoprotective effects of R. cordifolia essential oil extracted using hydrodistillation against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic damage in rats were evaluated. R. cordifolia essential oil was administered at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg orally and once daily for 21 days before CCl4 administration. CCl4 treatment significantly increased the activities of various serum enzymes and markers, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total cholesterol (TC), and total triglycerides (TC), which were dose-dependently restored to normal levels after the administration of R. cordifolia essential oil. The liver and spleen indices, as well as catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in the mice treated with the essential oil were similar to those of the normal control group. These results, together with the results of liver histopathology, showed that R. cordifolia essential oil exhibited hepatoprotective effects against CCl4-induced injury, and these effects were comparable to the effects of biphenyl dimethyl dicarboxylate (DDB) used as standard reference. The results of this study strongly indicate that R. cordifolia essential oil has a potential hepatoprotective action against CCl4-induced hepatic damage in rats.

渭南师范学院化学校级特色学科建设项目(14TSXK04）；渭南市科技创新扶持项目(2013JCYJ-14)