title: Dihydroartemisinin alleviates bile duct ligation-induced liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell activation by interfering with the PDGF-βR/ERK signaling pathway.
abstract: Liver fibrosis represents a frequent event following chronic insult to trigger wound healing responses in the liver. Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which is a pivotal event during liver fibrogenesis, is accompanied by enhanced expressions of a series of marker proteins and pro-fibrogenic signaling molecules. Artemisinin, a powerful antimalarial medicine, is extracted from the Chinese herb Artemisia annua L., and can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), the major active metabolite of artemisinin, is able to attenuate lung injury and fibrosis. However, the effect of DHA on liver fibrosis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of DHA on bile duct ligation-induced injury and fibrosis in rats. DHA improved the liver histological architecture and attenuated collagen deposition in the fibrotic rat liver. Experiments in vitro showed that DHA inhibited the proliferation of HSCs and arrested the cell cycle at the S checkpoint by altering several cell-cycle regulatory proteins. Moreover, DHA reduced the protein expressions of a-SMA, α1 (I) collagen and fibronectin, being associated with interference of the platelet-derived growth factor β receptor (PDGF-βR)-mediated ERK pathway. These data collectively revealed that DHA relieved liver fibrosis possibly by targeting HSCs via the PDGF-βR/ERK pathway. DHA may be a therapeutic antifibrotic agent for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Lianyun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China; Department of Science, Technology and Education, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210001, China.
authors.forename: Desong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Jiangjuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province, China; National First-Class Key Discipline for Traditional Chinese Medicine of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Pharmacology and Safety Evaluation of Chinese Material Medical, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China. Electronic address: nytws@163.com.
authors.forename: Shizhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D031172:Artemisia annua / Q000276:immunology; D037621:Artemisinins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000601:surgery; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D005355:Fibrosis; D055166:Hepatic Stellate Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020797:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D037621:Artemisinins; C039060:artenimol; D020797:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta
keywords: Dihydroartemisinin; ERK; Hepatic stellate cell; Liver fibrosis; Platelet-derived growth factor β receptor