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Lycium barbarum Polysaccharide Suppresses Expression of Fibrotic Proteins in Primary Human Corneal Fibroblasts.

Sum Sum KwokFrancisca Siu-Yin WongKendrick Co ShihYau-Kei ChanYashan BuTommy Chung-Yan ChanAlex Lap-Ki NgAmy Cheuk Yin LoLouis TongGary Hin-Fai YamVishal Jhanji
Published in: Journal of clinical medicine (2020)
(1) Objective: To study the anti-fibrotic effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on corneal stromal fibroblasts and assess LBP's effect on cell viability. (2) Methods: Primary human corneal keratocytes of passage 3 to 6 were used for all experiments. Cells are pretreated with LBP solution for 24 h and then transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) for 48 h and collected for experiments. Fibrotic protein analysis was performed using immunofluorescence and Western blot. The effect of LBP on cell viability was assessed using the MTS assay. (3) Results: LBP significantly reduced the expression of fibrotic proteins, including α-SMA and extracellular matrix proteins (collagen type I and III). LBP significantly decreased the viability of myofibroblasts but not the fibroblasts. Conclusions: In this study, LBP was effective in the prevention of fibrosis gene expression. Further studies to assess the underlying mechanism and pharmacological properties will facilitate the formation of a topical LBP solution for in vivo studies.
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