The changing pattern of TGF- β1 / Samds pathway in alcoholic liver fibrosis of rats

Objective To recognize the changing patterns of TGF-β1 /Samds pathway in alcoholic liver fibrosis of rats so as to understand the partial pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease. Methods 50 healthy SD rats were selected and divided into an experimental group and a control group randomly. 25 rats of the experimental group were given a dosage of 15ml. kg- 1. d- 1of 56°alcohol for six months,while the 25 rats of the control group were given normal saline instead but of the same amount. All rats were sacrificed after six months and their liver specimens were taken out for examination. We applied HE method to detect the degree of rats' alcoholic liver fibrosis,imumno-histo-chemistry examination to detect the protein expression and distribution of TGF-β1,and RT-PCR method to detect the mRNA expression of TGF-β1 and Smads. Findings Alcoholic liver fibrosis rat model was successfully made by 56° alcohol-gavage after six months. There was significant differences in liver fibrosis between the control group and the experimental group( P 0. 01). Compared with thecontrol group,the TGF-β1 protein of the experimental group significantly increased( P 0. 01),and was mainly distributed in portal area,peri-sinusoidal space and fibrous septa. The mRNA expression of TGF-β1,smad3 and samd4 were higher in rats of the experimental group compared with those of the control group(( P 0. 01,P 0. 01,P 0. 01). However,the smad7 mRNA decreased significantly in model rats( P 0. 05). Conclusion There appeared significant changes of the expression of TGF-β1 / Smads in rats of the experimental group compared with those of the control group,wherein,TGF-β1, smad3 and samd4 were up-regulated while smad7 was down-regulated. The abnormal change of TGF-β1 / Smads pathway might play an important role in the development of Alcoholic Liver Fibrosis Disease.