[Effects of desmopressin acetate and pituitrin on proliferation, contraction, and secretion of hepatic stellate cells].

Objective To investigate the effects of desmopressin acetate and pituitrin on the proliferation, contraction, and secretion of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Methods The human HSC cell line LX-2 was selected as the research model. And three groups were designed: blank control group, desmopressin acetate group (three subgroups: 1×10-10mol/L, 1×10-9mol/L, and 1×10-8mol/L desmopressin acetate), and pituitrin group (three subgroups: 0.1 U/L, 1.0 U/L, and 10.0 U/L pituitrin). Water-soluble tetrazolium salt (WST)-1 assay was used to evaluate cell proliferation; collagen gel contraction assay was used to assess cell contraction; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to identify cell secretion. The data was subjected to one-way analysis of variance. Results (1) The results of WST-1 assay showed that the values of A450in three desmopressin acetate subgroups (1×10-10mol/L, 1×10-9mol/L, and 1×10-8mol/L) were 0.459±0.017, 0.467±0.024, and 0.436±0.015, respectively. And the values of A450 in three pituitrin subgroups (0.1 U/L, 1.0 U/L, and 10.0 U/L) were 0.495±0.011, 0.507±0.015, and 0.501±0.009, respectively. Compared with the control group, the desmopressin acetate at high concentration significantly inhibited the cell proliferation (P 0.05). Conclusion Desmopressin acetate and pituitrin can induce the changes in the function and morphology of HSCs and may increase vascular resistance in the hepatic sinus. However, desmopressin acetate has less influence on HSCs than pituitrin. Key words: Liver cirrhosis; Portal pressure; Hepatic stellate cell; Desmopressin acetate; Pituitrin