Liver fibrosis is a pathological wound-healing response caused by chronic liver damage due to a virus, autoimmune disorder, or drugs. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play an essential role in the pathogenesis of
liver fibrosis. Methyl
ferulic acid (MFA), a biologically active monomer, has a protective effect on liver injury. However, the effects and roles of MFA in
liver fibrosis remain unknown. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of MFA on hepatic
fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms. Human hepatic stellate LX-2 cells were exposed to 5 μg/L TGF-β1 for 48 h to stimulate
liver fibrosis in vitro. Using MTT, RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, we revealed that MFA significantly inhibited the proliferation of LX-2 cells as well as decreased the expressions of α-SMA and
type I collagen in LX-2 cells. SD rats were fed with
ethanol, and this combined with the
intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 induced
liver fibrosis in vivo. We found that the administration of MFA markedly decreased the levels of
hyaluronic acid (HA),
procollagen type III (PC-III),
type IV collagen (CIV) and
laminin (LN) in the serum, inhibited the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) as well as type I and
type III collagen, and up-regulated the ratio of
MMP-2/TIMP-1 in rats. The antifibrotic effects of MFA were also evaluated by H&E staining and Masson's trichrome staining. In addition, further studies suggested that this protection by MFA from
liver fibrosis was possibly related to the inhibition of TGF-β1/Smad and NOX4/ROS signalling. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that MFA attenuated
liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell activation by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad and NOX4/ROS signalling pathways.