Abstract:OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) on transdifferentiation of human embryonic lung fibroblasts to myofibroblasts and the effects of lentinan on the transdifferentiation. METHODS: The human embryonic lung fibroblasts were cultured in vitro, and fibroblasts were treated with different concentrations of IL-1β and lentinan. The proliferation activity of the human embryonic lung fibroblasts was evaluated by the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). The expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) protein was measured by immunocytochemistry. The levels of fibronectin (FN), typeⅠcollagen (ColⅠ) and α-SMA mRNA were detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the untreated control group, the absorbance value of cell proliferation, α-SMA protein levels, FN, ColⅠand α-SMA mRNA expression were significantly up-regulated after different concentrations of IL-1β (0.1, 1, 10 ng/mL) treatment for 48 hrs (P<0.01). Lentinan treatment inhibited up-regulation of the cell proliferation activity, α-SMA protein levels, FN, ColⅠand α-SMA mRNA expression induced by IL-1β in a dose-independent manner (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Lentinan can suppress human embryonic lung fibroblast proliferation, fibroblast-myofibroblast transdifferentiation and extra cellular matrix synthesis induced by IL-1β.
