title: Artesunate restraining MAPK passage by smad7 to resist pulmonary fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to discuss the function and molecular mechanism of artesunate in resisting pulmonary fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Artesunate was used to stimulate the HFL-I cell line, which restrains the expression of Smad7 protein. Under different conditions, all treatment factors were checked, including Smad7, p-P38, ERK, and p-JNK protein expressions. Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell cycle. For the silent expression of the p-Smad7 protein, Western blot analysis revealed that Smad7, p-P38, and p-JNK proteins decreased compared with those of the non-treatment group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant changes were observed in Smad7, p-P38, and p-JNK proteins after the cells with silent p-Smad7 protein expression were stimulated by artesunate (p > 0.5). No significant changes were observed in the expression of Smad7, p-P38, and p-JNK proteins after using TGF-β1 recombination factor to cells whose p-Smad7 protein expression is silent (p > 0.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Artesunate blocks the MAPK cell conduction pathway through Smad7 to restrain idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: General Hospital of Chongqing Iron and Steel Group, Chongqing, China. changmingwangcn@163.com.
authors.forename: H-X
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: C-M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000962:Antimalarials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000077332:Artesunate; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051906:Smad7 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000962:Antimalarials; D037621:Artemisinins; C497806:SMAD7 protein, human; D051906:Smad7 Protein; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D000077332:Artesunate