ABSTRACT
Aim To investigate effects of indole-3-carbinol (I3C) on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activated by acetaldehyde in precision-cut liver slices (PCLS). Methods PCLS were incubated with 700 ?mol?L-1 acetaldehyde and 200 ~ 800 ?mol?L-1 I3C for 6 h. The expression of ?-smooth muscle actin(?-SMA) in liver slices was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The leakages of glutathione S-transferase (GST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and content of transforming growth factor-?1 (TGF-?1) in media were assayed. Contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyproline (Hyp) in tissue were also determined. Expressions of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (MMP-1) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) in media were analyzed by the western blot. Results The increase of activated HSCs due to acetaldehyde was inhibited by I3C (200~800 ?mol?L-1). Meanwhile, I3C treatment (200~800 ?mol?L-1) showed significant and concentration-dependent antagonistic actions on the increment of GST, LDH leakages into the media and MDA, Hyp contents in tissues induced by acetaldehyde. The increase of TGF-?1 was also remarkable inversed by I3C (200~800 ?mol?L-1). As compared with acetaldehyde group, the ratio of MMP-1/TIMP-1 was increased significantly by I3C treatment (800 ?mol?L-1)(P