Aralia tincture (Aralia elata) is a well-known adaptogen, so most of its effects that influence the body are associated with the general properties of this plant's preparations. They are metabolic regulators that increase the body's ability to adapt to various environmental stressors and prevent occurring damage. The purpose of this work is to determine the effect of various doses of A. elata roots alcohol tincture on the liver morphofunctional state of laboratory rats that are receiving a diet with excess fat. From 28 young laboratory rats that consumed an excess fat diet for 35 days, four groups were formed. Animals of the first group (control) received pure water without restriction; the second group – 0.1 % ethanol, and the third and fourth – received 0.1 % and 0.01 % alcohol tincture of Aralia (A. elata), respectively. After the experiment's completion, the absolute and relative mass and liver histostructure of animals were determined, and biochemical blood tests were performed to determine the main indicators of this organ's functional activity. In rats that were kept on the excess fat diet, the replacement of water with 0.1 % ethanol solution and 0.01 % alcohol tincture of aralia caused a decrease in the relative mass of the liver, and 0.1 % aralia alcohol tincture – caused a significant increase. It has been demonstrated that 0.1 % ethanol causes a significant increase in the total protein level in the blood. An analysis of the blood enzyme activity has shown that ethanol consumption reduced the activity of AST and ALT from the value of the control group, and the Aralia alcohol tincture returned these indicators to the level of the control group. The liver histostructure of rats in the control group was characterized by the appearance of signs of fatty degeneration along the periphery of the hepatic lobules, with the consumption of 0.1 % ethanol in addition to the excess fat diet, the accumulation of fat droplets was detected in both perilobular (around lobules) zone and in the center of the lobule itself near the central vein. In hepatocytes located along the periphery of the lobules, mainly large fat drops have accumulated, and in the center – small ones. The use of Aralia alcohol tinctures improved the liver parenchyma's morphological state. Fatty degeneration of hepatocytes was less pronounced. Fat inclusions in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes were small, diffusely located in the cytoplasm, and did not show cell destruction.
Herbal preparations recommended in the treatment protocols for metabolic disorders are highly effective and less toxic than chemically synthesized ones. Plants of the Lamiaceae family, in particular Lavandula angustifolia, are known and widely used in the treatment and prevention of many diseases in humans and animals. In a 30-day experiment on model animals was studied the effect of dry herb narrow-leaved lavender on the rate of weight gain, metabolic parameters and the morphofunctional state of the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. For this, two groups of white laboratory rats (n=7) consuming a high-fat diet for 30 days were formed. The experimental group was additionally given 5% of crushed dry lavender herb as part of the diet. We weighted the animals, calculated the average daily weight gain and at the end of the experiment determined the biochemical parameters of the blood, as well as assessed the macroscopic and microscopic changes in the internal organs. It was established that the addition of lavender to a high-fat diet led to increase in the average daily weight gain, and a significant increase in the absolute mass of the heart and liver compared to the control group. Among the biochemical parameters of the blood, the activity of alkaline phosphatase, as well as the level of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, increased significantly. A high-fat diet caused the development of granular degeneration in the kidneys, granular-fatty one in the liver, and the supplementation of the diet with lavender did not improve this condition.
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