Qindan-capsule inhibits proliferation of adventitial fibroblasts and collagen synthesis.
OBJECTIVE
Qindan-capsule (QC) is a prescription of traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of hypertension. We investigated the effect and mechanism of QC-containing serum on proliferation of aortal adventitial fibroblasts (AFs) and composition of extracellular matrix (ECM). We also tested whether the Smad3 signaling pathway is activated in the progress.


METHODS
AFs were cultured by tissue explant in vitro. The proliferation of AFs induced by transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and affected by QC-containing serum with high or low dose was detected by MTT. The protein and mRNA expressions of Smad3 and Procollagen I were observed by Western blot and Real-time PCR respectively.


RESULTS
Western blot and Real-time PCR revealed that after being activated by TGF-beta1 for 24h, the expressions of Smad3, Pho-Smad3 and Procollagen I were all higher than those in the control group. But these functions were inhibited, to some extent in different doses, by QC-containing serum. So that the proliferation of AFs which was evaluated by MTT.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggested QC-containing serum has significantly improved proliferation of AFs and composition of extracellular matrix. TGF-beta1/Smad3 signaling pathway may be involved in the mechanism.
Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qilu Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, 107 Wenhua Xi Road, Jinan 250012, Shandong, PR China.
Min
M
Ren
Jidong
J
Zhang
Bo
B
Wang
Ping
P
Liu
Hong
H
Jiang
Guilin
G
Liu
Huiqiu
H
Yin
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D019684:Magnoliopsida; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011347:Procollagen / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D051900:Smad3 Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000096:biosynthesis
D010936:Plant Extracts; D011347:Procollagen; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051900:Smad3 Protein; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1