Zeaxanthin dipalmitate from Lycium chinense fruit reduces experimentally induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.

We previously reported that zeaxanthin dipalmitate (ZD), a carotenoid from Lycium chinense fruit, reduces myofibroblast-like cell proliferation and collagen synthesis in vitro. To determine whether ZD might reduce the severity of hepatic fibrosis in an animal model, hepatic fibrosis was induced in rats by bile duct ligation/scission (BDL) for a period of 6 weeks. Treatment of BDL rats with ZD at a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight significantly reduced the activities of aspartate transaminase (p<0.05) and alkaline phosphatase (p<0.001) in serum. Furthermore, collagen deposition was significantly reduced as assessed by the Sirius Red binding assay in BDL rats administered ZD at the dose of 25 mg/kg body weight (p<0.01). In addition, the levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and 4-hydroxyproline were reduced when BDL rats received ZD at the dose of 25 mg/kg body weight. These results showed that ZD effectively inhibited hepatic fibrosis in BDL rats, at least in part via its antioxidative activity.