Original Article
Copyright ©2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 21, 2010; 16(31): 3911-3918
Published online Aug 21, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i31.3911
Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of tectorigenin on hepatic stellate cells
Jun-Hua Wu, Yu-Rong Wang, Wu-Yang Huang, Ren-Xiang Tan
Jun-Hua Wu, Yu-Rong Wang, Wu-Yang Huang, Ren-Xiang Tan, Institute of Functional Biomolecules, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Wu JH and Wang YR performed the majority of experiments; Huang WY did data analysis and manuscript modification; Tan RX and Wu JH designed and financed the study.
Supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. NSFC30801417; Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, No. BK2008267; and Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China, No. RFDP200802841004
Correspondence to: Ren-Xiang Tan, Professor, Institute of Functional Biomolecules, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, Jiangsu Province, China. rxtan@nju.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-25-83592945 Fax: +86-25-83302728
Received: February 27, 2010
Revised: April 20, 2010
Accepted: April 27, 2010
Published online: August 21, 2010
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the effect of tectorigenin on proliferation and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSC)-T6 cells.

METHODS: HSC-T6 cells were incubated with tectorigenin at different concentrations, and their proliferation was assessed by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation assay. Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry assay with Hoechst 33342 staining. Also, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), intracellular [Ca2+]i, potential of mitochondrial membrane, activities of cytochrome c and caspase-9 and -3 were investigated to explore a conceivable apoptotic pathway.

RESULTS: Tectorigenin suppressed the proliferation of HSC-T6 cells and induced apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Tectorigenin at the concentration of 100 μg/mL greatly inhibited the viability of HSC-T6 cells and induced the condensation of chromatin and fragmentation of nuclei. When treated for 48 h, the percentage of cell growth and apoptosis reached 46.3% ± 2.37% (P = 0.004) and 50.67% ± 3.24% (P = 0.003), respectively. Furthermore, tectorigenin-induced apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells was associated with the generation of ROS, increased intracellular [Ca2+]i, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, translocation of cytochrome c, and activation of caspase-9 and -3.

CONCLUSION: Tectorigenin inhibits proliferation of HSC-T6 cells and induces apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells.

Keywords: Tectorigenin; Apoptosis; Hepatic stellate cells; Hepatic fibrosis; Mitochondria; Proliferation