CURRENT CHINESE MEDICAL LITERATURE

The author studied the effects of soy beanphospholipids on hepatic cirrhosis and hepatitis.Mice,divided into two groups,were used for theexperiment.One control group,consisting of 50mice,was given 0.05ml of carbon tetrachlorideeach through dropper every other day.Afterthis it was found that the general nutrition ofthese mice worsened and 18 of them died by theeighth week.Several mice which survived tothe fourth week or so were autopsied.Micro-scopic examination showed the presence of fat-ty degeneration in the liver;animals killed inthe eighth week or so revealed hepatic cirrhosis.The test group was given the same treatmentas above plus 1 to 2 gm of phospholipids to eachmouse daily.There was no mortality in thisgroup in eight weeks,indicating that the soybean phospholipids have a preventive effect onexperimental fatty liver and liver cirrhosis.Thegeneral nutrition of the mice fed daily withdiet mixed with phospholipids was improved.No pathohistologic change was found in the livertissue of the mice killed.