The Kampo formulae “Juzen-taiho-to (TJ-48), Boi-ogi-to (TJ-20), Keishi-bukuryo-gan (TJ-25),and Oren-gedoku-to (TJ-15)” inhibit the activation of hepatic stellate cells

Abstract Aim This study aimed to explore the effects of TJ-48 (juzen-taiho-to), TJ-20 (boi-ogi-to), TJ-25 (keishi-bukuryo-gan), and TJ-15 (oren-gedoku-to) on hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, as well as the impact of different concentrations of Kampo formulae on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) liver fibrosis by analyzing the changes in the expression levels of alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) gene. Methods Different concentrations (0, 100, 500, 1000 µg/mL) of Kampo formulae were added to HSC-LX2 cells and cultured for 48 h. Real-time PCR and western blotting were used to detect α-SMA and COL1A1 mRNA and protein expression. Results Increasing TJ-48 concentrations caused the α-SMA and COL1A1 mRNA and protein expression to decrease sequentially, with a significant decrease in α-SMA mRNA levels at 500 and 1000 µg/mL TJ-48. Further, increasing TJ-20 concentrations resulted in a linear decrease in α-SMA mRNA expression. Similarly, adding TJ-25 led to a sequential decrease in α-SMA and COL1A1 mRNA and protein expression, with a significant drop in α-SMA mRNA and protein expression at 500 and 1000 µg/mL TJ-25. Likewise, the addition of TJ-15 caused a steady decline in α-SMA mRNA and protein levels, with a significant decrease in α-SMA mRNA and COL1A1 mRNA and protein levels at 1000 µg/mL TJ-15. Conclusion Our findings indicated that TJ-48, TJ-20, TJ-25, and TJ-15 significantly inhibited the activation of hepatic stellate cells and prevented the development of liver fibrosis. Future in vivo and clinical studies are warranted on this topic.