title: Prevention of TGF-β-induced early liver fibrosis by a maleic acid derivative anti-oxidant through suppression of ROS, inflammation and hepatic stellate cells activation.
abstract: Current anti-fibrotic effect of antioxidants in vivo is disappointing due probably to the fact that once liver fibrogenesis is established it is too advanced to be reversed by anti-oxidation mechanism. We consider antioxidant may only act on the early phase of fibrogenesis. Thus, we had previously established an early liver fibrosis animal model using an inducible expression vector (pPK9a), which contains TGF-β gene and was hydro-dynamically transferred into mice to induce a transient liver fibrosis. TGF-β1 has been well documented to up-regulate the expression of α2(1) collagen (Col 1A2) gene in the liver via the reactive oxygen species (ROS); the process triggers inflammation, leading to hepatic stellate cells (HSC) activation and liver fibrogenesis. Using our animal model and ROS, cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and Col 1A2 promoter assays as screening targets, we report here that a maleic acid derivative isolated from the Antrodia camphorata mycelium strongly decreases ROS production, promoter activity of Cox-2 and Col 1A2, intracellular calcium, expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), Smad4-p-Smad2/3 co-localization in cell nucleus and the DNA binding activity of Sp1. Our results suggest that the maleic acid derivative prevents liver fibrosis at an early phase both in vitro and in vivo through the inhibition of ROS, inflammation and the activation of HSC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, National Pei-men Senior Agricultural and Industrial Vocational School, Tainan, Taiwan.|Department of Biotechnology, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kun-Lin
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science and Technology, Chung Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Teng
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ming-Yuan
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Yuan's General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Kuo-Chen
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chuang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D055166:Hepatic Stellate Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008298:Maleates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D008298:Maleates; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; C030272:maleic acid