Objective: To study the effect of Chinese traditional medicine(TCM) of' cleaning heat

cooling blood

disintoxication and removing blood stasis' combined with stem cell transplantation in treating the rats of acute liver failure

in order to to explore the effect on apoptosis of hepatocytes. Method: A total of 40 clean SD rats were randomly divided into the blank group (5 rats) and the model group (35 rats). The acute liver failure was induced by D-GalN (1.2 g·kg-1) and LPS (5 μg·kg-1) through intraperitoneal injection. At 12 hours after modelling

the living rats were randomly divided into the model group

the Compound Glycyrrhizin Tablet group

the Yinchen Siling granule group

the stem cell transplantation group and the combined treatment group (stem cell transplantation combined with TCM). The rats in the combined treatment group and the stem cell group were injected with BMSCs through portal vein

and the rats in the other groups were injected with physiological saline. The combined treatment group and the Yinchen Siling granule group were given by gavage twice a day with tradition Chinese drugs named Yinchen Siling granule (1.5 g·kg-1)

the compound glycyrrhizin tablet group was given compound glycyrrhizin tablet (7.5 mg·kg-1) twice a day

and the rats in the other groups were provided with the equal volume of physiological saline until the rats were killed. Rat blood samples and liver tissues were collected in 120 hours

and alanine aminotransferase (ALT)

aspartic aminotransferase (AST)

total bilirubin (TIBL) were determined to see whether liver function in each group was improved and the extent. The liver tissue pathological changes were observed by HE staining

the apoptosis index was detected by TUNEL staining

protein expressions of cysteine aspartate protease-3(Caspase-3) was determined by Western blot

and mRNA expressions of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) and Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax) were detected by Real-time PCR. Result: Liver function abnormality occurred in rats with acute hepatic failure. Compared with the model group

the positive control group

the Chinese medicine group and the stem cell transplantation group

the combined treatment group was statistically better

with decreases in AST

ALT and TBIL

hepatic inflammatory activity and apoptosis index (P<0.05). Caspase-3 in each group

except for the blank group

was significantly increased

and the combined treatment group was statistically superior to all of the other groups (P<0.05). mRNA expression of Bax in each group was gradually decreased

while Bcl-2 mRNA increased

whereas Bax mRNA expression of the combined group was statistically lower all the other groups

and Bcl-2 mRNA was higher than the other groups (P<0.05). Conclusion: The combined treatment of TCM of' cleaning heat

cooling blood

disintoxication and removing blood stasis' and BMSCs transplantation alleviates liver dysfunction

protects liver tissues and inhibits the hepatic apoptosis

and the mechanism may be related to down-regulation of the expression of Caspase-3 protein

and up-regulation of the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and down-regulation of the expression of Bax mRNA

with a better effect than using either of them alone; and both are synergistic to the suppression of hepatic apoptosis.