Effect of Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 on the Expression of TLR4 and BAMBI Genes in Cholesterol-Treated Human Hepatic Stellate Cells

 Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary mediators in the progression of hepatic fibrosis. The activation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling leads to the downregulation of the transmembrane inhibitory transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) pseudoreceptor BMP and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI) on HSCs. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a natural secretory protein in the body with effects, such as the reduction of fat accumulation and oxidation of lipids; however; no study has investigated FGF21 ability to prevent the progression of liver fibrosis.

 This study aimed to examine the beneficial effects of FGF21 to reduce cholesterol-activated human HSCs.

 The human HSCs were incubated in media containing different concentrations of cholesterol, including 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150 μM, for 24 h and then incubated with FGF21 for 24 h. Total ribonucleic acids were extracted and reversely transcribed into complementary deoxyribonucleic acid. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed in this study.

 The results showed that the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of TGF-β, collagen, type I, alpha 1 (collagen1α), and TLR4 genes increased significantly in the presence of cholesterol (75 and 100 μM), compared to that of the control group (* P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01, and *** P < 0.001); nevertheless, the mRNA expression of the BAMBI gene significantly reduced, compared to that of the control group (* P < 0.05). The FGF21 significantly reduced the mRNA expression of TGF-β, collagen1α, and TLR4 genes (# P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of the BAMBI gene significantly increased with FGF21 (# P < 0.05).

 It was concluded that the treatment with FGF21 reduces the cholesterol-activated HSCs by decreasing the mRNA expression of the TLR4, TGF-β, and collagen1α genes and increasing the mRNA expression of the BAMBI gene.