Journal
BASIC & CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & TOXICOLOGY
Volume 120, Issue 6, Pages 560-570Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.12749
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Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [81270513]
- Support Project for High School Young Academic Backbone of Heilongjiang Province [1155G59]
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Magnolol is a pharmacological biphenolic compound extracted from Chinese herb Magnolia officinalis, which displays anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. This study was aimed at exploring the potential effect of magnolol on immune-related liver fibrosis. Herein, BALB/c mice were injected with concanavalin A (ConA, 8mg/kg/week) up to 6weeks to establish hepatic fibrosis, and magnolol (10, 20, 30mg/kg/day) was given to these mice orally throughout the whole experiment. We found that magnolol preserved liver function and attenuated liver fibrotic injury invivo. In response to ConA stimulation, the CD4(+) T cells preferred to polarizing towards CD4(+) T helper 17 (Th17) cells in liver. Magnolol was observed to inhibit Th17 cell differentiation in ConA-treated liver in addition to suppressing interleukin (IL)-17A generation. Hepatic stellate cells were activated in fibrotic liver as demonstrated by increased alpha smooth muscle actin (-SMA) and desmin. More transforming growth factor (TGF)-1 and activin A were secreted into the serum. Magnolol suppressed this abnormal HSC activation. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of Smad3 in its linker area (Thr179, Ser 204/208/213) was inhibited by magnolol. In vitro, the recombinant IL-17A plus TGF-1 or activin A induced activation of human LX2 HSCs and promoted their collagen production. Smad3/Smad4 signalling pathway was activated in LX2 cells exposed to the fibrotic stimuli, as illustrated by the up-regulated phospho-Smad3 and the enhanced interaction between Smad3 and Smad4. These alterations were suppressed by magnolol. Collectively, our study reveals a novel antifibrotic effect of magnolol on Th17 cell-mediated fibrosis.
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