Objective: To study the efficiency and effect mechanism of Herba Artemisiae Scoporiae inhibits the hepatic lipotoxicity model in vitro.
Method: Preparation rat regular serum and medicine serum. Under the safty of medicine thickness by toxicity testing, normal and model groups were added 10% normal rat serum, Herba Artemisiae Scoporiae group was added 10% medicine serum incubation for 24 h, FFA was added to all the groups but the normal incubation for 24 h. The indices were tested below: the content of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by ELISA, cellular triglyceride content (TG), Oil Red Staining; protein expression of cellular Bcl-2 Assaciated X protein (Bax), phospho-IKB (P-IkappaB) and Cathepsin B (ctsb) by Western Blotting; gene expression of cellular TNF-alpha, Bax and ctsb by real-time PCR; the expression and distribution of ctsb observed by immunofluorescence.
Result: After being incubated with FFA for 24 hours, TG deposition of HepG2 in the model group increased markedly. Compared with normal group, not only the content of serum TNF-alpha, but also the protein expression of cellular ctsb, P-IkappaB and mRNA expression of ctsb, TNF-a increased significantly. Contrast to model group, TG deposition decreased markedly in the Herba Artemisiae Scoporiae group. The Herba Artemisiae Scoporiae inhibited TNF-alpha content, the protein expression of cellular ctsb, P-IkappaB and mRNA expression of TNF-alpha significantly.
Conclusion: Herba Artemisiae Scoporiae has a direct inhibition on HepG2 steatosis and TNF-alpha secretion induced by long-chain FFA. The effect mechanism of Herba Artemisiae Scoporiae inhibits the hepatic lipotoxicity has close relationship with inhibition on the protein expression and mRNA expression of ctsb.