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Effect of matrine on primary human hepatocytes in vitro

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Abstract

Matrine is a bioactive component of the traditional Chinese medical herb Sophora flavescens that has been used in China to treat various kinds of diseases including virus hepatitis. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its hepatoprotective effects remains elusive. In the present study, primary human hepatocytes were employed to elucidate the protective effects and molecular mechanisms of matrine. We observed that low concentrations of matrine had no significant impact on albumin secretion, but high concentrations (>140 mg/L) of matrine decreased the albumin secretion in hepatocytes. Western blot data indicated that matrine at 140 mg/L at 72 h induced protein expression of CYP2A6, CYP2B6 and CYP3A4. Furthermore, high concentrations of matrine reduced LDH and AST levels and were cytotoxic to hepatocytes, leading to a decreased cell viability and total protein amount. Moreover, low concentrations of matrine, enhanced the ECOD activity and decreased the level of NO2 − induced by cytokines in human hepatocytes. Taken together, the present study sheds novel light on the molecular mechanisms of matrine and potential application of matrine in hepatic diseases.

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Abbreviations

MA:

Matrine

ALT:

Alanine aminotransferase

AST:

Aspartate transaminase

CYP:

Cytochrome P

ECOD:

Ethoxycoumarin-O-deethylation

EROD:

Deethylation of ethoxyresorufin

GST:

Glutathione-S-transferase

LDH:

Lactate dehydrogenase

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Acknowledgments

The authors declare no conflict of interest. This work was supported by the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State Ministry of Education (Grant No. 890[2008]) and the Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant No. A2009357).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China

    Xiaobing Gong & Yuan Gao

  2. Department of Anatomy, Medical College of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510630, China

    Guoqing Guo

  3. Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, Charité-Campus Virchow, Universitaesmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Florian W. R. Vondran, Ruth Schwartlander, Ekaterina Efimova, Gesine Pless, Igor M. Sauera & Peter Neuhaus

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  1. Xiaobing Gong
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  2. Yuan Gao
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Correspondence to Xiaobing Gong.

Additional information

Xiaobing Gong and Yuan Gao have contributed equally to this work.

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Gong, X., Gao, Y., Guo, G. et al. Effect of matrine on primary human hepatocytes in vitro. Cytotechnology 67, 255–265 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-013-9680-1

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