Abstract
Objective: Berberine is a compound isolated from medicinal herbs such as coptidis rhizoma. Berberine has been reported with diverse pharmacological effects. Nasal polyps are a common chronic inflammatory disease of nasal mucosa. In this study, we investigated the effect of berberine on myofibroblast differentiation in nasal polyp-derived fibroblast (NPDF). Method: NPDFs were prepared with and without berberine before TGF-beta1 treatment. The mRNA expressions of alpha-SMA was determined by RT-PCR. The expression of alpha-SMA protein and Phosphorylation of Smad2/3, ERK, p38, JNK, c-fos was determined by western blotting and or immunocytochemistry. The amount of total collagen production was analyzed by SirCol assay. Results: We observed that berberine inhibited the expression of alpha-SMA and total soluble collagen in a dose dependent manner. The TGF-β1-induced expression of pERK, p38, and AP-1 were decreased by berberine. Conclusion: Berberine abrogates TGF-beta1-induced myofibroblast differentiation by inhibition of Akt, MAPK phosphorylation, and AP-1 activation. These findings offer a mechanism for the antifibrotic effects of berberine and a therapeutic point in the treatment for nasal polyps.
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