Clonorchis sinensis lysophospholipase inhibits TGF-β1-induced expression of pro-fibrogenic genes through attenuating the activations of Smad3, JNK2, and ERK1/2 in hepatic stellate cell line LX-2.

Liver fibrosis is a wound healing response associated with chronic liver injury. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation is a key event in the development of liver fibrosis. Since helminths have the ability to live for decades in the host by establishing an adaptive relationship in the interplay with its hosts, we hypothesize that whether Clonochis sinensis LysophospholipaseA (CsLysoPLA), a component of excretory/secretory proteins, can attenuate the fibrogenic response by inhibiting activation of LX-2 cells, thereby balancing the pro-fibrotic and anti-fibrotic response during the Clonochis sinensis (C. sinensis) infection. In the present study, LX-2 cells were stimulated with CsLysoPLA in the presence of TGF-β1, and the expressions of collagen type I (COL1A1), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) were decreased. In addition, CsLysoPLA significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of LX-2 cells stimulated by TGF-β1. Pretreatment of LX-2 cells with CsLysoPLA attenuated the phosphorylation of Smad3 as well as JNK2 and ERK1/2 in response to the stimulation of TGF-β1. For the first time, our results showed an anti-fibrogenic effect of CsLysoPLA by attenuating the response of LX-2 cells to TGF-β1 through inhibiting the activations of Smad3, ERK1/2, and JNK2.