title: Serotonin receptor agonist quipazine promotes proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatocyte strain of L-02 strain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Liver disease is commonly seen in the clinic and its pathological characteristic is combined hepatocellular death and apoptosis. Promoting hepatocyte regeneration is one of the main methods of treating liver disease. Serotonin (5-HT) is an important compound which participates in various life process, and 95% of it is carried by platelets in the blood. A recent finding showed that platelet-derived serotonin is the key factor in liver regeneration, which fails without serotonin. This study aimed to investigate the effects of quipazine, a selective 5-HT receptor agonist, on proliferation and apoptosis in the human hepatocyte strain L-02.
  
  
  METHODS
  L-02 cells were cultured in medium with 5-HT and quipazine, and samples were collected at 24, 48, and 72 hours. The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) method was used to test viability, flow cytometry to assess the cell cycle, the Annexin-V/PI method to evaluate apoptosis, and immunohistochemistry to detect proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the control group, the viability of L-02 cells was improved in the 10, 50, and 250 microg/ml quipazine groups (P<0.05); the percentage of S-phase and PCNA-positive cells were increased in the 2, 10, 50, and 250 microg/ml quipazine groups (P>0.05); and no difference in the percentage of apoptotic cells was found between the 50 microg/ml quipazine and control groups (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quipazine improves proliferation of a human hepatocyte strain in vitro, and this is not based on the inhibition of apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China. individualliu@163.com
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhi-Yong
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D011814:Quipazine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016196:S Phase / Q000187:drug effects; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology; D018490:Serotonin Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D018490:Serotonin Agents; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D012701:Serotonin; D011814:Quipazine