Protective effect of bicyclol against bile duct ligation-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats

AIM: To evaluate the protective effect of bicyclol against bile duct ligation(BDL)-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats.METHODS: Sprague-Dawley male rats underwent BDL and sham-operated animals were used as healthy controls. The BDL rats were divided into two groups which received sterilized PBS or bicyclol(100 mg/kg per day) orally for two consecutive weeks. Serum, urine and bile were collected for biochemical determinations. Liver tissues were collected for histological analysis and a whole genome oligonucleotide microarray assay. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to verify the expression of liver fibrosis-related genes.RESULTS: Treatment with bicyclol significantly reduced liver fibrosis and bile duct proliferation after BDL. The levels of alanine aminotransferase(127.7 ± 72.3 vs 230.4 ± 69.6, P < 0.05) and aspartate amino-transferase(696.8 ± 232.6 vs 1032.6 ± 165.8, P < 0.05) were also decreased by treatment with bicyclol in comparison to PBS. The expression changes of 45 fibrogenic genes and several fibrogenesis-related pathways were reversed by bicyclol in the microarray assay. Bicyclol significantly reduced liver m RNA and/or protein expression levels of collagen 1a1, matrix metalloproteinase 2, tumor necrosis factor, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases 2, transforming growth factor-b1 and α-smooth muscle actin.CONCLUSION: Bicyclol significantly attenuates BDLinduced liver fibrosis by reversing fibrogenic gene expression. These findings suggest that bicyclol might be an effective anti-fibrotic drug for the treatment of cholestatic liver disease.