RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of "Wenyang Huazhuo Tongluo recipe" (WYHZTLR) on proliferation and cell cycle of systemic sclerosis (SSc) skin fibroblasts in vitro by serum pharmacologic technique. METHODS: Prednisone, D-penicillamine and WYHZTLR contained serum from patients with SSc were respectively added into cultured normal dermal fibroblast cell-line and SSc lesional dermal fibroblast cell-line. Then the cells were incubated for 48 hours. Cell proliferation and cell cycle were examined by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. RESULTS: Western medicine Chinese medicine and integrated Chinese and western medicine could markedly inhibit the proliferation of normal dermal fibroblasts and SSc lesional dermal fibroblasts in vitro compared with control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). But 20% serum in integrated Chinese and western medicine group could markedly inhibit the proliferation of fibroblasts compared with western medicine group (P < 0.01). Different drug-contained serum of WYHZTLR could markedly increase the percentage of G0-G1 stage cells (P < 0.01) and depress the percentage of sphase cells and G2-M stage cells compared with control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: WYHZTLR can block the progression of SSc skin fibroblasts into sphase and G2-M stage and inhibit the proliferation of SSc skin fibroblasts, and WYHZTLR was unselectively interfered with normal and SSc fibroblasts in vitro.