Correlation between anti-fibrotic effect of baicalin and serum cytokines in rat hepatic fibrosis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the correlation between the antifibrotic effect of baicalin and serum cytokine production in rat hepatic fibrosis.


METHODS
Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into four groups: normal control group, model group, baicalin-treated group, and colchicine-treated group. Except for the normal control group, all rats in the other groups were administered with carbon tetrachloride to induce hepatic fibrosis. At the same time, the last two groups were also treated with baicalin or colchicine. At the end of the 8 wk, all animals were sacrificed. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 were measured. Liver index, hepatic hydroxyproline content and the degree of liver fibrosis were also evaluated.


RESULTS
The levels of ALT, AST and liver index in the baicalin-treated group were markedly lower than those in the model group (ALT: 143.88 +/- 14.55 U/L vs 193.58 +/- 24.35 U/L; AST: 263.66 +/- 44.23 U/L vs 404.37 +/- 68.29 U/L; liver index: 0.033 +/- 0.005 vs 0.049 +/- 0.009, P < 0.01). Baicalin therapy also significantly attenuated the degree of hepatic fibrosis, collagen area and collagen area percentage in liver tissue (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the levels of serum TGFbeta1, TNF-alpha and IL-6 were strikingly reduced in the baicalin-treated group compared with the model group, while the production of IL-10 was up-regulated: (TGF-beta1: 260.21 +/- 31.01 pg/mL vs 375.49 +/- 57.47 pg/mL; TNF-alpha: 193.40 +/- 15.18 pg/mL vs 260.04 +/- 37.70 pg/mL; IL-6: 339.87 +/- 72.95 pg/mL vs 606.47 +/- 130.73 pg/mL; IL-10: 506.22 +/- 112.07 pg/mL vs 316.95 +/- 62.74 pg/mL, P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Baicalin shows certain therapeutic effects on hepatic fibrosis, probably by immunoregulating the imbalance between profibrotic and antifibrotic cytokines.
State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, 1# Keyuan Road 4, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
Xiao-Dong
XD
Peng
Li-Li
LL
Dai
Chang-Quan
CQ
Huang
Chun-Mei
CM
He
Li-Juan
LJ
Chen
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D003078:Colchicine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000097:blood; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016207:Cytokines; D005419:Flavonoids; D015850:Interleukin-6; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10; C038044:baicalin; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D003078:Colchicine