The present study was performed to clarify the recovery effect of polyacetylene constituents from Acanthopanax senticosus ethanol extracts on CCl₄-induced acute hepatic injury in dogs. Sixteen clinically healthy dogs were divided into the control group (six dogs), and experimental group Ⅰ (three dogs), Ⅱ (three dogs) and Ⅲ (four dogs). Acute hepatic injury was induced by single intraperitoneal injection of 1 ml/kg CCl₄solution (CCl₄: olive oil = 1 : 1) after sterilization. The control group was orally administered with 10 ml of corn oil, and experimental groups Ⅰ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ were orally administered with extracts of A. senticosus at the dose of 5, 10 and 30 mg/kg in 10 ml corn oil for seven consecutive days at 24 h after CCl₄ injection.

A 6-year-old, neutered male, Schnauzer was presented with a one year history of weight loss and exercise intolerance. Physical examination revealed abdominal distention and ecchymosis on the abdominal skin. CBC and serum chemistry profiles revealed anemia and increased serum liver enzymes. Postmortem examination revealed primary hepatic hemagiosarcoma. The tumor had extended to the mesentery and diaphragm, but distant metastasis was not found. This case report describes primary hepatic hemangiosarcoma which is very rare in a dog.

Alcohol abuse and its medical and social consequences are a major health problem in many areas of the world. Korean red ginseng (KRG) has been traditionally used for the treatment of liver disease. This study was conducted to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of KRG against hepatotoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats treated with ethanol (EtOH). Administration of EtOH for 20 days induced significant changes in serum biochemical parameters (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, and glucose) accompanied by histological changes in the liver tissue. Treatment with KRG prior to administration of EtOH inhibited the EtOH-induced biochemical and histological changes of the liver. In perfused rat livers, administration of EtOH caused an increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release into the perfusate and activated the pro-apoptotic Bax protein but inhibited the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein. Pretreatment with KRG prior to administration of EtOH decreased the EtOH-induced LDH release and inhibition of Bcl-2 protein. These results suggest that KRG exerts anti-apoptotic effects and alleviated EtOH-induced liver injury in rats.

The effects of red ginseng and raw ginseng were examined in vivo mid-term test for hepatocarcinogens in rats. The number of placental type of glutathione S-transferase (GST-P)-positive foci of the liver was significantly reduced in rats given diethylnitrosamine (DEN) followed by raw ginseng (4.77 +- 3.23, p0.05) as compared to the controls given carcinogen alone (9.07 +- 5.69). The area of GST-P positive foci was also significantly reduced in rats given DEN followed by red ginseng (0.5 +- 0.31, p0.05) as compared to the control (0.93 +- 0.65). These result suggest that red or raw ginseng are not hepatocarcinogens and rather may possess inhibitory potential for liver carcinogenesis