title: Effects of herbal compound 861 on human hepatic stellate cell proliferation and activation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Genomic Institute, Beijing 101300, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bao-En
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Pei-Gen
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Yan-Jiang
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.forename: Xue-Hai
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C476499:herbal compound 861