Comparison of the In Vitro Antifibrogenic Effects of Silymarin, Silybin A and 18α-Glycyrrhizin on Activated Hepatic Stellate Cells

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the most important cells in liver fibrogenesis, are a major target of the fibrosis therapy.
This study aimed to compare the anti-fibrogenic effects of three natural components, including silymarin, silybin A and 18α-glycyrrhizin on an activated LX-2 HSC line under prophylactic and therapeutic conditions.
We treated HSCs with silymarin, silybin A and 18α-glycyrrhizin before (prophylactic) and after (therapeutic) activation by TGF-β1, and then we measured their antiproliferative effects by the MTT assay. The level of released TGF-β1 was measured. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the activated cells determined the gene expression levels of important fibrogenic-related molecules.
All components showed significant antiproliferative effects under the therapeutic condition (P The antifibrogenic effects of silybin A and 18α-glycyrrhizin were stronger in the therapeutic compared to the prophylactic experiment. Silymarin had a greater inhibitory effect on fibrogenic gene expressions under the prophylactic condition.