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Effects of Processed Rhubarb on Liver Cell Damage in Vitro and in Vivo

The rhizome of rhubarb (RR) has been utilized as an efficacious laxative. However, RR is inappropriate for elderly patients due to its liver toxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in constituents and to evaluate on hepatocytes in vitro and in vivo following various iterations of processing. Unprocessed RR (RR‐U) was soaked in liquor, steamed and then dried. The process was repeated four or seven times. Reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the constituents. To evaluate the effect of rhubarbs on hepatocytes, HepG2, human hepatoma cells and Sprague‐Dawley rats were used. The processing decreased the levels of sennoside A and B, while the level of emodin was unaffected. HepG2 cell viability with RR‐U was decreased, while processing reduced the toxicity. The changes in body weight, relative liver weight, liver enzymes and histology of RR‐U‐treated rats were attenuated in processed RR‐treated rats. These results suggest that processing of RR reduces liver toxicity by altering its composition. This study was supported by the Bio‐Synergy Research Project (NRF‐2012M3A9C4048795) of the Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning through the National Research Foundation. D.‐S.O. is supported by Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM, Grant#K14271).