Effect of Paeoniflorin on TGF-β/smad Signal Transduction Pathway in Rats with Radioaction-induced Hepatic Fibrosis

Objective To investigate the protective effect of paeoniflorin on radiation-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats and its mechanism.Methods Fifty healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to normal control group,model group,and paeoniflorin treatment groups(20,40,80 mg · kg-1).Each group contained 10 rats.Each group,except the normal control group,received X-ray exposure to establish radiation-induced hepatic fibrosis model rats.All the rats were administered with corresponding drugs.Rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation 26 weeks after irradiation.The blood and liver of the rats were collected for further examinations.The level of hydroxyproline(Hyp) in liver tissues and serum activities of ALT and AST were detected.The serum level of TGF-β1,HA,PC-Ⅲ and LN was measured.Histology was observed with hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson′s trichrome staining by optical microscopy.Meanwhile,the expression of TGF-β1,Smad3/4 and Smad7 proteins was detected by immunohistochemistry.Results Radiation-induced liver damage and collagen deposition in the model group were more severe than in the normal control group.The activities of ALT,AST and TGF-β1,HA,PC-Ⅲ,LN and the liver Hyp contents were significantly higher in the model group than in the normal control group.The