Hepatoprotective effects of Limonium tetragonum, edible medicinal halophyte growing near seashores

BACKGROUND: During the process of hepatic fibrosis, the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is responsible for the increased formation and reduced degradation of extracellular matrix in the liver. By employing the hepatic stellate cell line, HSC-T6, it was found that the methanol extract of Limonium tetragonum, a halophyte living in salt marsh near south and western seashores of Korea significantly inhibited the proliferation of HSC-T6 cells. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we attempted to investigate the antifibrotic effects of the mathanolic extract of L. tetragonum (MELT) in the activated HSC-T6 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The proliferation of HSC-T6 was stimulated by culturing environment or platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) insult, and then the inhibitory activities of MELT were measured. RESULTS: It was found that MELT suppressed the proliferation of the activated HSC-T6 in concentration- and time-dependent manners. The increased collagen deposition in the activated HSC-T6 cells was also decreased by the treatment of MELT. The maximal dose of MELT, however, had little effect on primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Wlammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) produced by lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages was inhibited by MELT. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the above results demonstrated that MELT suppressed HSCs proliferation but not in hepatocytes, implying that L. tetragonum may be useful candidates for developing therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of hepatic fibrosis.