Published online Dec 15, 2000. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v6.i6.819
Revised: September 12, 2000
Accepted: September 19, 2000
Published online: December 15, 2000
AIM: To study the molecular mechanisms of retinoic acid (RA) on proliferation and expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CKI), i.e. p16, p21 and p27 in cultured rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC) stimulated with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1).
METHODS: HSC were isolated from healthy rat livers and cultured. After stimulated with 1 mg/L TGF-β1, subcultured HSC were treated with or without 1 nmol/L RA. MTT assay, immunocytochemistry (ICC) for p16, p21, p27 and α-smooth muscle actin (α -SMA) protein, in situ hybridization (ISH) for retinoic acid receptor beta 2 (RAR-β2) and p16, p21 and p27 mRNA and quantitative image analysis (partially) were performed.
RESULTS: RA inhibited HSC proliferation (41.50%, P < 0.05), decreased the protein level of α-SMA (55.09%, P < 0.05), and induced HSC to express RAR-β2 mRNA. In addition, RA increased the protein level of p16 (218.75%, P < 0.05) and induced p21 protein expression; meanwhile, p27 was undetectable by ICC in both control and RA-treated HSC. However, RA had no influence on the mRNA levels of p16, p21 or p27 as determined by ISH.
CONCLUSION: Up-regulation of p16 and p21 on post-transcriptional level may contribute, in part, to RA inhibition of TGF-β1 initiated rat HSC activation in vitro.