Curcumin upregulates Nrf2 nuclear translocation and protects rat hepatic stellate cells against oxidative stress

Liu,Zhenxiong; Dou,Weijia; Zheng,Yuanyuan; Wen,Qinsheng; Qin,Ming; Wang,Xuxia; Tang,Hua; Zhang,Rong; Lv,Dandan; Wang,Jingjie; Zhao,Shuguang

doi:10.3892/mmr.2015.4690

Curcumin upregulates Nrf2 nuclear translocation and protects rat hepatic stellate cells against oxidative stress

Authors:
- Zhenxiong Liu
- Weijia Dou
- Yuanyuan Zheng
- Qinsheng Wen
- Ming Qin
- Xuxia Wang
- Hua Tang
- Rong Zhang
- Dandan Lv
- Jingjie Wang
- Shuguang Zhao
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Affiliations: Department of Gastroenterology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710038, P.R. China, Department of Gastroenterology, 180 Military Hospital, Quanzhou, Fujian 362000, P.R. China
Published online on: December 17, 2015 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2015.4690
Pages: 1717-1724

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Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the protective role of curcumin against oxidative stress in rat hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)-T6, and to determine the possible underlying mechanisms. HSC‑T6 cells were divided into three groups: Negative control group, oxidant‑treated group and curcumin‑treated group. Flow cytometry and spectrophotometry were used to measure the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH). Immunocytochemistry and a radioimmunoassay were used to determine the expression of smooth muscle α‑actin (α‑SMA) and the secretion of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. In addition, western blotting and immunocytochemistry were used to determine the expression levels of nuclear factor‑erythroid 2‑related factor (Nrf2). Treatment with glucose oxidase (GO) significantly stimulated the formation of ROS and increased the production of MDA, as compared with the control cells; however, the production of GSH was only slightly increased. In addition, treatment with GO significantly promoted the expression of α‑SMA and the secretion of ECM molecules. Conversely, treatment with curcumin significantly decreased the levels of ROS and MDA, and significantly increased the levels of GSH. Curcumin significantly inhibited the expression of α‑SMA and decreased the secretion of ECM molecules. Furthermore, treatment with curcumin significantly increased the nuclear expression levels of Nrf2. These results indicated that curcumin may protect rat HSCs against oxidative stress and inhibit the GO‑induced activation and secretion of ECM molecules in vitro. These effects were mediated by the upregulation of Nrf2 nuclear translocation.

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