Department of Geriatrics, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China.
Department of CCU, The First People's Hospital of Aksu Prefecture in Xinjiang, Aksu, Xinjiang 843000, P.R. China.
Mol Med Rep. 2018 Sep;18(3):3211-3218. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2018.9343. Epub 2018 Aug 1.
Chitosan is a linear polysaccharide that is made by treating the chitin shells of shrimp and crustaceans with an alkaline substance, for example sodium hydroxide. Due to its unique physical and chemical properties, chitosan has a wide range of applications in the medical field. Currently, there are no effective treatments for liver fibrosis; therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of chitosan in a CCl4‑induced hepatic fibrosis (HF) rat model. The serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were measured by ELISA. Collagen (COL) 3 and α‑smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression levels in the rat liver were detected by reverse transcription‑semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting, respectively. The results demonstrated that treatment with chitosan significantly improved HF, by decreasing the serum levels of AST, ALT, and ALP; improving liver histology; and decreasing the expression levels of COL3 and α‑SMA. Chitosan may offer an alternative approach for the clinical treatment of HF.
壳聚糖是一种线性多糖，通过用碱性物质（例如氢氧化钠）处理虾和甲壳类动物的壳聚糖来制备。由于其独特的物理和化学性质，壳聚糖在医学领域有广泛的应用。目前，对于肝纤维化尚无有效的治疗方法；因此，本研究旨在探讨壳聚糖在 CCl4 诱导的肝纤维化（HF）大鼠模型中的治疗作用。通过酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）测量血清中天冬氨酸转氨酶（AST）、丙氨酸转氨酶（ALT）和碱性磷酸酶（ALP）的水平。通过逆转录-半定量聚合酶链反应和蛋白质印迹法分别检测大鼠肝组织中胶原（COL）3 和 α-平滑肌肌动蛋白（SMA）的表达水平。结果表明，壳聚糖治疗可显著改善 HF，降低血清 AST、ALT 和 ALP 水平；改善肝组织学；并降低 COL3 和 α-SMA 的表达水平。壳聚糖可能为 HF 的临床治疗提供一种替代方法。
