Effect of allicin on the expression of TIMP-1 in rat hepatic stellate cells

Objective To observe the effect of allicin on rat hepatic stellate cells(HSC-T6) proliferation and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1(TIMP-1) expression,and its antifibrotic activity.Methods HSC-T6 cells were cultured in vitro.MTT assay was used to measure the proliferation of HSC-T6 cells.Real-time PCR and western blot were used to detect the expression of TIMP-1 mRNA and protein.Results Compared with the control group,the proliferation of HSC-T6 cells was inhibited when treated with allicin(P 0.01).Meantime,the expression of TIMP-1 mRNA and protein was significantly decreased in allicin-treatment group,especially when the concentration of allicin was 24 μg /mL( P 0.05).Conclusion Allicin plays an important role in inhibition of HSC-T6 cells proliferation and TIMP-1 expression,which may provide an evidence for anti-hepatic fibrosis drugs research.