Effects of herbal compound 861 on human hepatic stellate cell proliferation and activation.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of herbal compound 861 (Cpd 861) on cell proliferation in human hepatic stellate cells (LX-2) and human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cells (HepG2), and expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) in LX-2 cells.


METHODS
LX-2 and HepG2 cells were incubated with various concentrations of Cpd 861 (0.1-0.003 mg/mL) for 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 d. Cell proliferation was analyzed by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay. Effects of Cpd861 on the expression of alpha-SMA mRNA in LX-2 cells were measured by real-time quantitative PCR method using SYBR Green I technology.


RESULTS
Cpd 861, at 0.1 mg/mL, significantly inhibited LX-2 cell proliferation (15% decrease relative to control, P<0.05) after 3 d of incubation. The inhibitory effects seemed to increase with the treatment time (25% decrease after 5 d of incubation and 35% decrease after 7 d of incubation, P<0.01). However, Cpd 861 did not affect HepG2 cell proliferation at the same concentration used for LX-2 cells. The expression levels of alpha-SMA mRNA decreased significantly when LX-2 cells were exposed to Cpd 861 for 48 h (59% decrease relative to control, P<0.05) or 72 h (60% decrease relative to control, P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Cpd 861 can significantly inhibit LX-2 cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, and reduce the expression levels of alpha-SMA mRNA in LX-2 cells. Since hepatic cell proliferation and high level of alpha-SMA are associated with liver fibrosis, the results suggest that Cpd 861 may be useful in the treatment of this disease.
Wang
Lin
L
Beijing Genomic Institute, Beijing 101300, China.
Wang
Jian
J
Wang
Bao-En
BE
Xiao
Pei-Gen
PG
Qiao
Yan-Jiang
YJ
Tan
Xue-Hai
XH
D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C476499:herbal compound 861