In order to determine the effect of deer horn water extract on the rat hepatic cell, hepatic glycogen contents and hepatic enzymatic activities such as adenosine triphosphatse (ATPase), alkaline phosphatase (ALPase), acid phosphatase (ACPase), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cytochrome oxidase (CYO), the experimental rats were refed, after starvation for 7 days extract on the base of 0.2m1 per gr of body weight.
The animals were sacrificed on a time interval of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 days after refeeding with basal diet deer horn administrating groups. Livers excised from both groups were fixed with 10 percent formalin for hematoxyline-eosin staining and for a periodic acid Schiff´s reaction for glycogen content. Furthermore frozen sections fixation with freon aerosol were determined for ATPase, ALPase, ACPase, LDH and CYO activity with histochemical methods and the aid of the light microscope.
The following results were obtained;
1. The histopathological changes were recovered to normal appearance in 32 days in the group refed with the basal diet but it took only 16 days in the group refed with the basal diet and deer horn water extract.
2. Hepatic glycogen contents were recovered to normal in 16 days in the group refed with the basal diet whereas the group fed with the basal diet plus deer horn water extract took only 8 days.
3. As for the ATPase activity, the group refed with the basal diet took 8 days to recover its normal activity whilest that of the group fed with the basal diet plus deer horn water extract took only 4 days.
4. In the case of ALPase activity, no changes were noted in the group fed with the basal diet alone and the group fed with the basal diet plus deer horn extract.
5. The activity of ACPase of the group fed with the basal diet was not recovered during the whole duration of the experiment, in contrast to the case of treatment with deer horn water extract was recovered within 32 days.
6. A full recovery in the activity of LDH was registered within 2 days in the group fed with the basal diet plus deer horn water exfract, in contrast to the group fed with basal diet alone
took 4 days for a similar recovery.
7. The recovery of CYO activity to the normal took only 16 days in the group of deer horn
water extract treatment but it took 32 days in the group of the basal diet alone.
In view of the above findings it can be concluded that hepatic regeneration and hepatic enzymatic activity following the starvation are greatly enhanced by the intake of deer horn water extract in the rat.
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