RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of grape procyanidins (GPC) on concentration of intracellular calcium and the proliferation activity of normal hepatic cells and the hepatic cell injuried by alcohol. METHODS: Rat hepatic cells and the cell injuried by alcohol were cultured with different concentration of GPC. The proliferation activity and concentration of intracellular calcium of the hepatic cells were measured by MTT assay and Fura-2 fluorescence methods. RESULTS: (1) The concentration of intracellular calcium of the normal control group and alcohol injury group were (108.26 +/- 14.17) and (651.24 +/- 47.95) nmol/L respectively, and that of both the high and the medium dose GPC groups were lower than the alcohol injury group, all differences are significant (P < 0.05). (2) The concentration of intracellular calcium in the normal hepatic cells treated with GPC is the group with calcium of extracellular fluid > the group free from calcium of extracellular fluid > the normal control group. (3) The proliferation activity of the high and the medium dose GPC group of normal hepatic cell and the cell injuried by alcohol were higher than the normal control group and alcohol injury group, all differences are significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: GPC can raise the intracellular calcium concentration of normal hepatic cell by increasing extracellular fluidca introaffluxion and release from calcium pool, and enhance the proliferation activity of hepatic cells. It also can inhibit the abnormal rise (overload) of intracellular calcium concentration and the proliferation activity injury of hepatic cell induced by alcohol.