Bitencourt Shanna, Stradiot Leslie, Verhulst Stefaan, Thoen Lien, Mannaerts Inge, van Grunsven Leo A
Liver Cell Biology Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
Mol Nutr Food Res. 2015 Jun;59(6):1107-16. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201400649. Epub 2015 Apr 29.
Virtually all chronic liver injuries result in the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). In their activated state, these cells are the main collagen-producing cells implicated in liver fibrosis. Capsaicin (CPS), the active compound of chili peppers, can modulate the activation and migration of HSCs in vitro. Here, we evaluated the potential protective and prophylactic effects of CPS related to cholestatic and hepatotoxic-induced liver fibrosis and its possible underlying mechanism of action.
Male Balb/c mice received dietary CPS after 3 days of bile duct ligation (BDL) or before and during carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ) injections. Mice receiving dietary CPS after BDL had a significant improvement of liver fibrosis accompanied by a decrease in collagen deposition and downregulation of activation markers in isolated HSCs. In the CCl4 model, dietary CPS inhibited the upregulation of profibrogenic markers. However, CPS could not attenuate the CCl4 -induced fibrosis when it was already established. Furthermore, in vitro CPS treatment inhibited the autophagic process during HSC activation.
Dietary CPS has potential benefits in the therapy of cholestatic liver fibrosis and in the prophylaxis of hepatotoxic-induced liver injury.
几乎所有慢性肝损伤都会导致肝星状细胞（HSCs）的激活。在其激活状态下，这些细胞是参与肝纤维化的主要胶原生成细胞。辣椒素（CPS）是辣椒的活性成分，可在体外调节肝星状细胞的激活和迁移。在此，我们评估了辣椒素与胆汁淤积性和肝毒性诱导的肝纤维化相关的潜在保护和预防作用及其可能的潜在作用机制。
雄性Balb/c小鼠在胆管结扎（BDL）3天后或在注射四氯化碳（CCl4）之前及期间接受含辣椒素的饮食。胆管结扎后接受含辣椒素饮食的小鼠肝纤维化有显著改善，同时分离的肝星状细胞中的胶原沉积减少且激活标志物下调。在四氯化碳模型中，含辣椒素饮食抑制了促纤维化标志物的上调。然而，当四氯化碳诱导的纤维化已经形成时，辣椒素不能减轻这种纤维化。此外，体外辣椒素处理抑制了肝星状细胞激活过程中的自噬过程。
含辣椒素饮食在胆汁淤积性肝纤维化治疗和肝毒性诱导的肝损伤预防方面具有潜在益处。
