Alterations of mast cells and TGF-β1 on the silymarin treatment for CCl4-induced hepatic fibrosis

Table 1 Experimental designs used in this study.

Group ID	Numberof animal	Treatment	Sacrificed time
CCl4	15	CCl4, 1.0 mg/(kg·d), IP 3 times a wk 0.25% CMC, 1 mL/(kg·d), PO 5 times a wk	4, 8, 12 wk
CCl4+ Sily	15	CCl4, 1.0 mg/(kg·d), IP 3 times a wk Silymarin, 50 mg/(kg·d), PO 5 times a wk	4, 8, 12 wk

Table 2 Histopathological findings of liver tissue in the CCl₄- or CCl₄ with silymarin-treated groups.

Group	4 wk		8wk		12 wk
	Grade1	Lesion	Grade	Lesion	Grade	Lesion
CCl4	2	Mild fibrosis	3	Severe fibrosis	4	Cirrhosis
CCl4+Sily	0-1	Mild fatty change	1-2	Mild fatty change and fibrosis	2-3	Severe fatty change and fibrosis

¹Fibrotic grade classified by Fujiwara et al., Grade 0: none, Grade 1: short collagen extended from central veins, Grade 2: slender septa link the central veins but lobular architecture is preserved, Grade 3: pseudolobuli are formed thin septa, Grade 4: parenchyma is subdivided into pseudolobuli by thin septa.