Suppressive effect of orthovanadate on hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis in rats.

ABSTRACT: Orthovanadate (OV), an inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatases, affects various biological processes in a cell-type-specific manner. In this study, we investigated the effect of OV on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). When primary rat HSCs were cultured in the presence of 10% serum, they spontaneously lost characteristic stellate morphology, proliferated, and were transformed into an activated state with the formation of abundant stress fibers and increased expression of both alpha-smooth muscle actin and collagen type I mRNA. OV treatment inhibited proliferation and activation of HSCs and partially reversed the phenotype of activated HSCs. Among the signaling molecules investigated, phosphorylation of the Src protein at tyrosine 416 was the most striking in OV-treated HSCs. Treatment of c

SUBMITTER: Nishikawa Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2665748 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature