ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of Baoganning (BGN) on activity of nuclear transcription factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and its relevant mechanisms.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Normal Wistar rats were medicated with BGN decoction by gavage for 7 days to prepare BGN drug-serum. The effect of BGN drug-serum on HSC-T6 growth was measured by MTT assay; phosphorylation level of NF-kappaB inhibiting factor IkappaB at different time after BGN stimulation was detected by Western blotting analysis; and the binding level of NF-kappaB with DNA was measured 30 min after drug-serum stimulation with gel shift assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>BGN could significantly inhibit the HSC-T6 growth and quickly supress the phosphorylation of IkappaB, with the effect reached its peak at 30 min and restored to baseline level 6 h after stimulation, and reduce the binding capacity of NF-kappaB with DNA.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>BGN can inhibit phosphorylation of IkappaB, restrain the activity of NF-kappaB and change the binding level of NF-kappaB with DNA.</p>