Artesunate ameliorates hepatic fibrosis induced by bovine serum albumin in rats through regulating matrix metalloproteinases

The effect of Artesunate on anti-hepatic fibrosis was discovered by our team for the first time. In order to investigate the effect of Artesunate on hepatic fibrosis induced by Bovine serum albumin (BSA) in rats and understand the initiatory mechanism of its effect, several experiments were conducted in this assay. HE staining and Masson׳s Trichrome staining were employed in observation of morphological changes. The content of hydroxyproline in the hepatic tissue was determined by using an acid hydrolyzation method. In addition, the expression of Matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and type I collagen were tested by western blotting respectively. The expression of Matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2), Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) were determined by Gelatin Zymography Assay. Also, we use immunohistochemical studies to measure the expression of α-SMA. The final results indicated that Artesunate could dramatically attenuate the extent of hepatic fibrosis showed by histopathological sections of hepatic tissues, significantly decrease the content of hydroxyproline and efficiently inhibit the protein expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, α-SMA and type I collagen. Artesunate could as well promote the expression of MMP-13 at the same time. In conclusion, the results not only suggested that Artesunate could ameliorate hepatic fibrosis, but also suggested the anti-fibrogenic mechanisms of Artesunate might be associated with inhibiting the activation of HSCs, decreasing the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and increasing the expression of MMP-13.These results would bring new insights for the treatment for hepatic fibrosis.