Published online Apr 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i4.784
Revised: October 27, 2002
Accepted: November 4, 2002
Published online: April 15, 2003
AIM: To explore different roles of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in hepatic stellate cell proliferation and trans-differentiation.
METHODS: Hepatic stellate cells were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats. Sub-cultured hepatic stellate cells were employed for cell proliferation assay with WST-1 reagent and Western blot analysis with antibody against smooth muscle alpha actin (SMA).
RESULTS: The results indicated that TGF-β1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation at concentration as low as 0.1 ng/mL, but both BMP-2 and BMP-4 did not affect cell proliferation at concentration as high as 10 ng/mL. The effect on hepatic stellate cell trans-differentiation was similar between TGF-β1 and BMPs. However, BMPs was more potent at trans-differentiation of hepatic stellate cells than TGF-β1. In addition, we observed that TGF-β1 transient reduced the abundance of SMA in hepatic stellate cells.
CONCLUSION: TGF-β may be more important in regulation of hepatic stellate cell proliferation while BMPs may be the major cytokines regulating hepatic stellate cell trans-differentiation.