title: Antiproliferative effect of catechin in GRX cells.
abstract: The phenolic compounds present in cocoa seeds have been studied regarding health benefits, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Fibrosis is a wound healing response that occurs in almost all patients with chronic liver injury. A large number of cytokines and soluble intercellular mediators are related to changes in the behavior and phenotype of the hepatic stellate cell (HSC) that develop a fibrogenic and contractile phenotype leading to the development of fibrosis. The objective of this study was to assess the catechin effect in GRX liver cells in activities such as cell growth and inflammation. The GRX cells treatment with catechin induced a significant decrease in cell growth. This mechanism does not occur by apoptosis or even by autophagy because there were no alterations in expression of caspase 3 and PARP (apoptosis), and LC3 (autophagy). The expression of p27 and p53 proteins, regulators of the cell cycle, showed increased expression, while COX-2 and IL-6 mRNA showed a significant decrease in expression. This study shows that catechin decreases cell growth in GRX cells and, probably, this decrease does not occur by apoptosis or autophagy but through an anti-inflammatory effect and cell cycle arrest. Catechin also significantly decreased the production of TGF-β by GRX cells, showing a significant antifibrotic effect.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Biofísica Celular e Inflamação, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS, Avenida Ipiranga 6681, prédio 12, CEP: 90619-900 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cristina Machado
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bragança de Moraes
authors.forename: Denizar Alberto da Silva
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Roberto Christ Vianna
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Shanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bitencourt
authors.forename: Fernanda Cristina
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Mesquita
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: dos Santos de Oliveira
authors.forename: Edgardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Carballo
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bartrons
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rosa
authors.forename: Francesc Pujol
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.forename: Jarbas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodrigues de Oliveira
mesh_terms: D001343:Autophagy; D002099:Cacao / Q000737:chemistry; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002392:Catechin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D055166:Hepatic Stellate Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D002392:Catechin; D053148:Caspase 3