title: Effects of drug serum of anti-fibrosis I herbal compound on calcium in hepatic stellate cell and its molecular mechanism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of anti-fibrosis I herbal compound on intracellular Ca(2+) in activated hepatic stellate cell (HSC) and to try to survey its molecular mechanism in treatment and prevention of hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  The activated HSC line was plated on small glass cover slips in 24 wells culture dishes at a density of 5X10(6) /mL, and incubated in RPMI-1640 media for 24 h. After the cells were loaded with Fluo-3/AM, intracellular Ca(2+) was measured with laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The dynamic changes of intracellular Ca(2+), stimulated by carbon tetrachloride, TGF-beta(1) antibody and the drug serum of anti-fibrosis I herbal compound and under orthogonal design were determined by LSCM. The effect of anti-fibrosis I herbal compound on intracellular Ca(2+) was observed before and after the addition of TGF-(1) antibody.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intracellular Ca(2+) were significantly different in different dosage of carbon tetrachloride anti-fibrosis I formula drug serum, TGF-beta(1) antibody and different turn of these substance, but their interval time between CCl(4) and TGF-beta(1) antibody, CCl(4) and anti-fibrosis I drug serum had no influence on intracellular Ca(2+). The result showed intracellular Ca(2+) wasn't significantly different between rat serum without anti-fibrosis I and untreated group. After carbon tetrachloride stimulation, intracellular Ca(2+) of activated HSC increased significantly when the dosage of CCl(4) from 5 to 15 mmol/L, however, decreased significantly after stimulation by 5-20 microg/mL TGF-beta(1) antibody or 5-20 mL/L drug serum. Moreover, before and after the addition of TGF-beta(1) antibody, intracellular Ca(2+) was significantly different. These results suggested that the molecular mechanism was independent of blocking TGF-beta(1) effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anti-fibrosis I herbal compound may treat hepatic fibrosis and decrease portal hypertension by inhibiting activated HSC contractility through decrease of intracellular Ca(2+).
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Dian-Wu
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001769:Blood; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D002118:Calcium