Effect of TGF-β/smad signaling pathway blocking on expression profiles of miR-335, miR-150, miR-194, miR-27a, and miR-199a of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of inhibition of TGF-β/smad signaling on the expression profiles of miR-335, miR-150, miR-194, miR-27a, miR-199a of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Background: Liver fibrosis is excessive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins due to ongoing inflammation and HSC activation that occurs in most types of chronic liver diseases. Recent studies have shown the importance of microRNAs in the pathogenesis of chronic liver diseases. Methods: In this study, for inhibition of TGF-β smad-signaling pathway, expressing Smad4 shRNA plasmids were transfected into HSCs. Subsequently, using Real Time-PCR, we measured the expression levels of miR-335, miR-150, miR-194, miR-27a and miR- 199a. Results: Gene expression analysis showed that downregulation of Smad4 by vector Smad4shRNA significantly increased the expression levels of miR-335 (P<0.01) and miR-150 (P<0.001) and decreased the expression level of miR-27a (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that blocking TGF-β smad-signaling can also differentially modulate microRNA expression in support of activation and fibrogenesis of HSCs.