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Capsaicin Modulates Proliferation, Migration, and Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells

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Abstract

Capsaicin, the active component of chili pepper, has been reported to have antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects on a variety of cell lines. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effects of capsaicin during HSC activation and maintenance. Activated and freshly isolated HSCs were treated with capsaicin. Proliferation was measured by incorporation of EdU. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were investigated using flow cytometry. The migratory response to chemotactic stimuli was evaluated by a modified Boyden chamber assay. Activation markers and inflammatory cytokines were determined by qPCR, immunocytochemistry, and flow cytometry. Our results show that capsaicin reduces HSC proliferation, migration, and expression of profibrogenic markers of activated and primary mouse HSCs. In conclusion, the present study shows that capsaicin modulates proliferation, migration, and activation of HSC in vitro.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by CAPES/DGU (BEX 4426/10-0) Grant of the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology and Secretaria de Estado de Universidades (PHB2008-0080-PC) Grant of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. SB is receipt of a fellowship from CAPES. LAvG is supported by the Vrije Universiteit Brussels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Pesquisa em Biofísica Celular e Inflamação, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Avenida Ipiranga 6681, prédio 12, bloco C, sala 221, Porto Alegre, RS, CEP 90619-900, Brazil

    Shanna Bitencourt, Fernanda Mesquita, Bruno Basso, Júlia Schmid, Gabriela Ferreira & Jarbas Oliveira

  2. Laboratório de Imunologia do Envelhecimento, Instituto de Pesquisas Biomédicas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Lucas Rizzo & Moises Bauer

  3. Departament de Ciències Fisiològiques II, Campus de Bellvitge, Universitat de Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

    Ramon Bartrons, Francesc Ventura & Jose Luis Rosa

  4. Liver Cell Biology Lab, Department of Cell Biology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Shanna Bitencourt, Inge Mannaerts & Leo Adrianus van Grunsven

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  1. Shanna Bitencourt
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jarbas Oliveira.

Additional information

Leo Adrianus van Grunsven and Jarbas Oliveira have contributed equally to this study.

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Bitencourt, S., Mesquita, F., Basso, B. et al. Capsaicin Modulates Proliferation, Migration, and Activation of Hepatic Stellate Cells. Cell Biochem Biophys 68, 387–396 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-013-9719-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-013-9719-0

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