Thalidomide Reduces Activation of Murine Pancreatic Stellate Cells by Inhibiting the TGF-ß/Smad Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanism of thalidomide on pancreatic stellate cell (PSC) activation in mice and to find the optimal timing of thalidomide administration. METHODS: PSCs, isolated from mouse pancreas tissue, were divided into five groups with specific treatments: (A) control PSCs (PSC), (B) PSCs induced by TGF-ß1 (PSC+TGF-ß1), (C) PSCs induced by TGF-ß1 followed by thalidomide (PSC+TGF-ß1+Thalidomide), (D) PSCs receiving TGF-ß1 and thalidomide simultaneously (PSC+(TGF-ß1+Thalidomide)), and (E) PSCs treated with thalidomide only (PSC+Thalidomide). We measured the effects of thalidomide on PSC activation by detecting the expression of α-SMA, collagen type I, and the TGF-ß/Smad pathway through quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Compared with TGF-ß1 alone, thalidomide significantly inhibited PSC activation by reducing α-SMA expression (P<0.05) and decreasing collagen type I deposition (P<0.05). PSCs treated with thalidomide alone showed lower expression of α-SMA and collagen type I than those treated with thalidomide and TGF-ß1 at random order (P<0.01). Thalidomide downregulated TGF-ß1 and Smad3 and upregulated Smad7 (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Thalidomide could repress PSC activation and alleviate fibrosis by regulating the TGF-ß/Smad pathway. Preventive use of thalidomide had maximum effect, and there was no evidence for the reversal of the activation of quiescent PSCs.

Protective Effect of Thalidomide on Liver Injury in Rats with Acute Pancreatitis via Inhibition of Oxidative Stress.

This study was designed to investigate the preventive effect of thalidomide on acute pancreatitis-associated liver injury in the rat and analyze its relationship with oxidative stress. The acute pancreatitis of rats was induced by the retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct. Thalidomide (100 mg/kg) was given daily via the intragastric route for 8 days before this injection. The levels of oxidative stress parameters including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver were detected by biochemical assay. Nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κBp65), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) protein and mRNA levels in the liver were detected using western blots and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Compared with the untreated model group, liver histopathology, SOD, GSHpx, MDA levels, NF-κBp65, TNF-α, ICAM-1 protein, and mRNA levels in the liver of rats given thalidomide were improved significantly. Results demonstrate that thalidomide may exert its effects on oxidative stress to attenuate the progression of acute pancreatitis-associated liver injury in rats.