Dahuang Zhechong pill attenuates CCl4-induced rat liver fibrosis via the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway

It is well characterized that activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) exert critical functions in accelerating the progression of liver fibrosis. Previous studies have indicated that Dahuang Zhechong pill (DHZCP), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, is capable of inactivating HSCs and thus attenuate the formation of liver fibrosis in rats. However, pharmacological mechanisms of DHZCP in alleviating liver fibrosis remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the antifibrotic role of DHZCP through inhibiting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt) pathway. DHZCP was found to significantly suppresses extracellular matrix formation and immune cell infiltration, thus alleviating liver fibrosis symptoms in the in vivo model. Moreover, DHZCP reduced serum levels of transforming growth factor beta 1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in rats with liver fibrosis. DHZCP treatment remarkably downregulated protein levels of PI3K and phosphorylated Akt, as well as fibrosis markers. In vitro experiments further demonstrated that DHZCP markedly suppressed HSCs proliferation by downregulating PI3K/Akt, which exerted a synergistic effect with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002. To sum up, our results confirmed that DHZCP exerted an antifibrotic effect in the animal model through inactivating the PI3K/Akt pathway, thus protecting rats from liver injury.