Effects Of Traditional Chinese Medicine Ganyanping On TGFβ₁/Smad Signaling Pathway Of CCl₄-induced Hepatic Fibrosis In Rats

AimTo study the role of Ganyanping on experimental hepatic fibrosis of CCl4-induced rats, and explore its anti-fibrotic molecular mechanism by investigating the changes of TGFβ₁, TβRâ… , TβRâ…¡protein expression and Smad3, Smad7 and Procollagenα2(â… )(Col1a2) mRNA expression in liver.MethodsThirty-eight healthy Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups as follows: normal control group (N), model control group (A), Ganyanping therapeutic group (B). group N was treated with normal saline through intragastrical infusion. Group A and group B were given CCl4 through subcutaneous injection. Four weeks later, group B was treated with Ganyanpin and group A was treated with normal saline through intragastrical infusion at the same time. The pathological changes of liver were examined. The protein levels of TGFβ₁ and its receptors (TβRâ… and TβRâ…¡) were measured by immunohistochemical technique. And the changes of Smad3, Smad7 and Col1a2 mRNA expression were observed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results Comparing with group A, the levels of TGFβ₁ and its receptors protein in group B decreased after treated with Ganyanping (TGFβ₁: 4.30±0.16 vs 4.18±0.17, P<0.05; TβRâ… : 4.35±0.14 vs 4.24±0.10, P<0.05; TβRâ…¡: 4.37±0.11 vs 4.27±0.08, P<0.05). Meanwhile, the expressions of Smad3 and Col1a2 mRNA were also downregulated (Smad3: 0.93±0.05 vs 0.90±0.41, P<0.05; Col1a2: 0.95±0.03 vs 0.92±0.03, P<0.05). However, The expression of Smad7 mRNA was upregulated (0.84±0.05 vs 0.87±0.03, P<0.05).ConclusionsGanyanping significantly inhibits hepatic fibrosis in rats induced by CCl4. The mechanisms may be associated with inhibition of TGFβ₁ and its receptors expression, downregulation of Smad3 mRNA expression and upregulation of Smad7 mRNA expression. These alterations eventually decrease the Col1a2 mRNA expression, which is one of the main extracellular matrix(ECM).