Curcumin works synergistically with drugs as an anti-fibrotic agent in liver fibrosis. - GreenMedInfo Summary
[Inhibitive effect of curcumin and amiloride on the fibrosis of rat hepatic stellate cells induced by oxidative stress].
Zhong Yao Cai. 2003 Nov;26(11):795-8. PMID: 14989060
First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510515.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of antioxidant curcumin and Na+/H+ exchanger inhibitor amiloride on the fibrosis of rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC) induced by oxidative stress in vitro.
METHODS: HSC were incubated with 0.1 mmol/L ferric nitrilotriacetate complex (FeNTA). MTT colorimetry was used for assaying proliferation of HSC. Cytotoxicity was measured by LDH colorimetry. Collagen type I accummulation in the culture media was measured by ELISA. Intracellular malonildialdehyde (MDA), SOD, GSH and GSH-Px levels in the culture media were measured by respective reagent boxes.
RESULTS: HSC incubation with FeNTA resulted in a significant production of intracellular MDA and GSH, associated with decrease of SOD and GSH-PX activity. Exposure of HSC to FeNTA significantly enhanced the number of proliferating HSC and collagen type I levels in the culture medium. All these effects were reversed by the antioxidant curcumin and by the Na+/H+ exchanger inhibitor amiloride. Combining curcumin with amiloride had better effects on the fibrosis of rat hepatic stellate cells induced by oxidative stress than curcumin or amiloride.
CONCLUSION: The effects of combination of antifibrosis drugs curcumin and amiloride on different targets of HSC are superior to curcumin or amiloride.