Abstract:

To investigate the effect of psoralen on the proliferation and correlated factors of hepatic stellate cells (HSC-T6) in vitro. Psoralen was dissolved in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) at different concentrations of 10 μmmol/L, 1 μmmol/L, 0.1 μmmol/L, and 0.01 μmmol/L. The cell proliferation was assessed with methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) after incubation with psoralen for 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h, respectively. HSC-T6 were divided into 5 groups and incubated in the presence of 0.1 mol/L hydrogen dioxide followed by washing with PBS for 3 times. Psoralen at different concentrations (10 μmol/L, 1 μmol/L, 0.1 μmol/L) was added into the cell culture media, and after incubation for 48 h, the activities or levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malonaldehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and collagen I (COL I) in the supernatant of the cell culture were measured. The results showed that psoralen inhibited the cell proliferation at the concentration of 10, 1, and 0.1 μmol/L. Psoralen significantly decreased the production of extracellular MDA, GSH, and COL I and increased SOD and GSH-Px activity. Therefore, psoralen can inhibit the proliferation of HSC-T6, decrease lipid peroxidation in HSC-T6, and degrade the secretion from COL I in HSC-T6.

Key words: liver fibrosis, hepatic stellate cells, psoralen, phytoestrogen, oxidative stress