# Comparative Study on the Role of Berberine and _Berberis_
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Histopathological Changes in the Liver  
During our experiments, the histological changes were confirmed by H&E staining. As shown in Figure 1, the mice with the chemical treatment were characterized by severe hepatic infiltration of neutrophils, proliferation of the bile duct, bridging necrosis, fibrosis of liver tissues, and hemorrhagic necrosis in the centrilobular region. These changes were reversed by both the extract and berberine, but, more significantly, at a higher dose of berberine, in accordance with the respective decrease in biochemical serum markers, as mentioned in Table 1. The application of berberine at a low dose of 60 mg/kg did not prove very effective at reducing the ballooning of some hepatocytes, while a higher dose (120 mg/kg) reduced the inflammation and ballooning of hepatocytes very well. Lower doses of berberine may need a longer duration to work effectively in reducing liver injuries in mice. However, a very high concentration of berberine is toxic to use. It has been reported that up to 20.8 g of berberine/kg of b.wt of mice is safe via oral administration [37].  
The BLE extract at a high dose also reduced inflammation and, to some extent, the ballooning of hepatocytes, but not significantly when compared to berberine (Figure 1). There is a possibility that a higher dose (120 mg/kg of mice b.wt) of BLE may reduce the liver injury markers prominently, which is in accordance with the increasing dose of berberine and other compounds in the extract. Similar findings were reported on the stem bark extract of this plant, by [PERSON] and colleagues, where 200 mg/kg of extract was much more effective than 150 mg/kg of extract against isoniazid-induced liver toxicity in mice.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Groups** & **Treatment** & **BUN (nmol/L)** & **ALP(U/L)** & **ALT(U/L)** & **AST(U/L)** &
\begin{tabular}{c} **AFP Level** \\ **(pg/mL)** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline
1 & No & 3.05 \(\pm\) 0.61 & 75.33 \(\pm\) 1.53 & 48 \(\pm\) 7.02 & 116 \(\pm\) 13.05 & 341.7 \(\pm\) 20.60 \\
2 & DEN & 6.04 \(\pm\) 0.05 \# & 191.73 \(\pm\) 3.41 \# & 165.67 \(\pm\) 7.77 \# & 334 \(\pm\) 47.01 \# & 421.33 \(\pm\) 30.4 \# \\
3 & BLE (60) & 4.43 \(\pm\) 0.31 ** & 128.33 \(\pm\) 17.56 * & 97 \(\pm\) 7.64 ** & 289 \(\pm\) 34 & 388 \(\pm\) 9.53 \\
4 & BLE (120) & 3.13 \(\pm\) 6.20 ** & 83.3 \(\pm\) 15.3 ** & 59 \(\pm\) 28 * & 183 \(\pm\) 51.3 * & 349 \(\pm\) 23.8 * \\
5 & Berberine (60) & 5.47 \(\pm\) 0.50 & 87 \(\pm\) 21.3 ** & 53.7 \(\pm\) 31.3 * & 266 \(\pm\) 37.9 & 353 \(\pm\) 8.39 * \\
6 & Berberine (120) & 3.53 \(\pm\) 0.45 ** & 73.22 \(\pm\) 22.34 ** & 45.5 \(\pm\) 5.89 ** & 114.3 \(\pm\) 15.3 ** & 338.3 \(\pm\) 54.6 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} All values are described as mean \(\pm\) S.D. \(p<0.05\) values are statistically significant; \(\#\)\(p<0.05\) of DEN-treated group as compared to normal control group; *\(p<0.05\) of BLE- and berberine-treated groups as compared to DEN-treated respective group; **\(p<0.05\) of BLE- and berberine-treated groups as compared to DEN-treated respective group.  
\end{table}
Table 1: Effect of _B. lycium_ Royle alkaloids and berberine chloride on blood urea nitrogen content (BUN), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels in the blood serum of the mice.