Protective Effect of Urtica fissa on the Liver Injury in Diabetic Mice

Objective:To investigate the protective effect of 70% ethanol extract of Urtica fissa on the liver injury in diabetic mice. Methods:Type 2 diabetes mellitus model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin in mice. The diabetic mice were randomly divided into 4 groups:model group,70% ethanol extract of Urtica fissa low groups(100 mg/kg),medium groups(200 mg/kg),high groups(400 mg/kg),and the normal mice were the control group. control group and model group were administrated with normal saline,and five groups mice were continuously administered for 30 days. The liver index of mice was calculated,and the liver pathological change were observd by HE stain. The contents of malondialdehyde(MDA)and protein carbonyl of(PCO),the activities of superoxide dismutase(SOD)and catalase(CAT)in the liver were detected. Results:Compared with the control group,the liver index of mice in model groups increased,the liver tissue was obviously injuried,the contents of MDA and PCO were significantly increased(p<0.01),the activities of SOD and CAT were reduced(p<0.01). Compared with the model group,70% ethanol extract of Urtica fissa groups showed obviously decreased the liver index of mice(p<0.01),the contents of MDA and PCO were reduced(p<0.05),the activities of SOD and CAT were increased(p<0.01). Conclusion:70% ethanol extract of Urtica fissa can observably protect the liver of diabetic mice,and the mechanism may be related to antioxidation effect.