Objective:To investigate the effect of curcumin on hepatic fibrosis (HF) in rats and its molecular mechanism.
Methods :Rat hepatic stellate cells were cultured and activated with ConA and processed with different concentration of curcumin. Models of hepatic fibrosis in rats induced by subcutaneous injection of CCl4 were treated with different concentrations of curcumin. The levels of HA, LN, PCⅢ and Ⅳ.C in serum and histological changes in liver tissues were determined to reveal the extent of liver fibrosis. Matrixmetalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression in liver tissues and HSC was determined by Western blot and RT-PCR.
Results:Curcumin significantly reduced the levels of HA, LN, PCⅢ and Ⅳ.C in serum of HF rats(P<0.05). the score of hepatic fibrosis in curcumin group was reduced significantly(P<0.05), Curcumin also inhibited MMP-2 expression in liver tissues(P<0.05) and activated HSC in a dose-dependent way(P<0.05).
Conclusions:Curcumin can inhibit hepatic fibrosis in rats by reducing MMP-2 expression.