Antioxidant and Protective Effects of Bupleurum falcatum on the L-Thyroxine-Induced Hyperthyroidism in Rats

Table 4

Histomorphometrical changes in the LT4 and test materials-treated rats.

Groups	Thyroid gland
	Mean diameters	follicular lining epithelium thickness	Mean diameters of follicle	Liver cell counts	Epididymal adipocyte mean diameters
	(mm/central region)	(μm/follicle)	(μm/follicle)	(Nuclei numbers/mm^2 of liver)	(μm/adipocyte)
Controls
Intact	3.01±0.24	24.33±2.94	151.17±20.99	366.38±33.42	164.29±23.65
LT4	1.92±0.13^a	5.29±1.48^a	155.01±17.62	629.00±108.15^d	48.19±7.85^d
Reference
PTU 10 mg/kg	2.49±0.29^ac	13.91±2.10^ac	153.53±11.00	446.13±51.10^df	96.79±21.86^df
BR treated
300 mg/kg	2.75±0.22^bc	17.54±1.97^ac	152.47±11.15	418.13±29.22^ef	142.03±13.66^ef
150 mg/kg	2.51±0.19^ac	13.89±2.60^ac	154.26±10.30	445.25±40.83^df	119.79±15.71^df
75 mg/kg	2.27±0.23^ac	8.90±1.12^ac	159.10±11.39	499.75±28.94^df	90.81±11.91^df

Values are expressed mean ± S.D. of eight rats. BR: aqueous Bupleuri Radix extracts; LT4: levothyroxine; PTU: propylthiouracil; MDA: malondialdehyde; GSH: glutathione; SOD: superoxide dismutase. ^a𝑃<0.01, and ^b𝑃<0.05 as compared with intact control by LSD test; ^c𝑃<0.01 as compared with LT4 control by LSD test; ^d𝑃<0.01 and ^e𝑃<0.05 as compared with intact control by MW test; ^f𝑃<0.01 as compared with LT4 control by MW test.