Chunggan extract, a traditional herbal formula, ameliorated alcohol-induced hepatic injury in rat model

Figure 4 Effects of Chunggan extract on collagen production and pro-fibrogenic cytokines in T6 cells. HSC-T6 cells (2 × 10⁶ cells) were pre-treated with CGX (50 or 100 μg/mL) 2 h before acetaldehyde (ALD) treatment (100 μmol/L) for 24 h. The intracellular collagen type 1 level was measured using Sidney’s method, and levels of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in media were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (A). The gene expressions for collagen type 1a1, TGF-β, PDGF-β and CTGF were measured using real-time polymerase chain reactions (B). The results are expressed as the fold-change relative to the normal group. Data are expressed as means ± SD (n = 4). ^aP < 0.05 vs normal group; ^bP < 0.01 vs normal group; ^cP < 0.05 vs ALD-only group, ^dP < 0.01 vs ALD-only group.