Piperine ameliorates the severity of fibrosis via inhibition of TGF ‑β/SMAD signaling in a mouse model of chronic pancreatitis.

Piperine ameliorates the severity of fibrosis via inhibition of TGF‑β/SMAD signaling in a mouse model of chronic pancreatitis. Mol Med Rep. 2019 Sep 02;: Authors: Choi JW, Lee SK, Kim MJ, Kim DG, Shin JY, Zhou Z, Jo IJ, Song HJ, Bae GS, Park SJ Abstract Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is characterized by recurrent pancreatic injury, resulting in inflammation and fibrosis. Currently, there are no drugs for the treatment of pancreatic fibrosis associated with CP. Piperine, a natural alkaloid found in black pepper, has been reported to show anti‑inflammatory, anti‑oxidative, and antitumor activities. Although piperine exhibits numerous properties in regards to the regulation of diverse diseases, the effects of piperine on CP have not been established. To investigate the effects of piperine on CP in vivo, we induced CP in mice through the repetitive administration of cerulein (50 µg/kg) six times at 1‑h intervals, 5 times per week, for a total of 3 weeks. In the pre‑treatment groups, piperine (1, 5, or 10 mg/kg) or corn oil were administrated orally at 1 h before the first cerulein injection, once a day, 5 times a week, for a total of 3 weeks. In the post‑treatment groups, piperine (10 mg/kg) or corn oil was administered orally at 1 or 2 week after the first cerulein injection. Pancreases were collected for histological analysis. In addition, pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) were isolated to examine the anti‑f...
Source: Molecular Medicine Reports - Category: Molecular Biology Tags: Mol Med Rep Source Type: research