FIGURE 2.

Combination of bicyclol and berberine demonstrates better therapeutic effects on NASH in mice induced by WD/CCl₄. Male C57BL/6J mice were freely fed with Western diet plus intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 ml/kg CCl₄ (WD/CCl₄) once per week for 4 weeks (A). Liver steatosis was performed with H&E staining at week 4 (B). Then the mice were continuously treated with WD/CCl₄ or WD/CCl₄ plus drug for 8 weeks. The body weight (C) was recorded. ALT (D) and AST (E) in serum and TG (F) and CHO (G) in the liver were measured. Liver histopathology was evaluated using H&E, ORO, and Masson’s trichrome staining (H) and quantified with NAS score criteria (I) and fibrotic surface (J). Results were presented as mean ± SD. n = 5–9 for each group, *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01, WD/CCl₄-induced model group vs. the control group; ^#p < 0.05 and ^##p < 0.01 vs. the WD/CCl₄-induced model group or monotherapy group.