[Intervention of Fuzhenghuayu decoction on autocrine activation of hepatic stellate cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the intervention of Fuzhenghuayu decoction on autocrine activation of hepatic stellate cell. METHODS: The drug serum containing Fuzhenghuayu decoction was collected from the normal rats, and cultured with activated hepatic stellate cells (HSC) in vitro. The conditional medium from the drug serum treated HSC was collected, and added to primarily cultured quiescent HSC. The primary cell proliferation was assayed by MTT colorometric test, and the contents of type I collagen and vasular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the medium were assayed with ELISA. RESULTS: The coditional medium from activated HSC could stimulate the proliferation and type I collagen secretion in the quiescent HSC. The drug serum inhibited this stimulating action and VEGF secretion from activated HSC. CONCLUSIONS: Fuzhenghuayu decoction has inhibitory action on the autocrine-activating pathway of HSC. The mechanism may be associated with inhibiting the secretion of VEGF by activated HSC.