Role of Alcohol in the Induction of Hepatic Injury by Chronic Consumption of Medicated Wine

Kinmen Benefit Life medicated wine (KBLMW), a medicated wine with unified formulas proclaimed by the Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy (Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan), was made of 17 kinds of Chinese medicinal materials soaked in 25% alcohol. KBLMW has been widely used as conventional or complementary medicines for health regimen. In the present study, Wistar rats were administered once daily via gastric tube with KBLMW, de-alcoholic KBLMW (0% alcohol/ vol) or 25% alcohol at 2.08 mL/kg/day for 12 consecutive weeks, to clarify the role of alcohol in the induction of hepatic disorders by chronic consumption of KBLMW at the recommended intake amount. At the end of this treatment, the liver fibrosis in rats receiving 25% alcohol was found, featuring increase in serum levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase, as well as hepatic hydroxyproline contents. Comparing with the normal group, values of these serum indexes in KBLMW-fed rats elevated moderately but lower than those of 25% alcohol-fed rats. Also, the stage of liver fibrosis in KBLMW-treated rats was less advanced than that in 25% alcohol-treated group. In addition, the liver function parameters in rats receiving de-alcoholic KBLMW were close to those of normal group and liver fibrosis was not observed. The results suggest that alcohol is related to the induction of hepatic injury by chronic consumption of medicated wine even at the recommended daily intake amount. This finding can be used as the safety reference guide for clinical medicated wine drinking.