[Effects of glycyrrhizin on genes expression during the process of liver fibrosis].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of glycyrrhizin on genes expression during the process of rat liver fibrosis.


METHODS
Rat models of liver fibrosis were obtained by subcutaneous injections of CCl(4), another group were treated with both CCl(4) and glycyrrhizin. A control rat, a CCl(4) induced liver fibrosis rat and a glycyrrhizin treated rat were chosen to undergo cDNA microarray respectively. According to the results of cDNA microarray, a gene (smurf2) abnormally expressed in the liver fibrosis rat and expressed normally in the treated group was chosen to study its changes at different stages of experimental liver fibrosis by semi-quantitative RT-PCR.


RESULTS
Many genes including smurf2, PTAFR, CYP2D6, FGG associated with inflammation and metabolism were identified increased expression in the CCl(4) treated group and normal expression in the glycyrrhizin group by cDNA microarray. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed after 1 week there were no differences of smurf2 gene expression levels among the three groups, after 2 weeks smurf2 gene expression levels decreased both in the CCl(4) group and glycyrrhizin group, after 4 weeks smurf2 gene expression levels increased in the CCl(4) group but decreased in glycyrrhizin group, after 8 weeks smurf2 gene expression levels decreased again in the CCl(4) group but increased to the normal level in the glycyrrhizin group.


CONCLUSIONS
By cDNA microarray, we found the effects on the changes of smurf2 gene expression may contribute to the anti-fibrosis molecular mechanism of glycyrrhizin.
Cai
Yu
Y
Department of digestion, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Shen
Xi-zhong
XZ
Wang
Ji-yao
JY
D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / Q000235:genetics
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; C471641:SMURF2 protein, human; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases