Effect of triptolide on fibrosis in a mouse model of cerulean-induced chronic pancreatitis

Objective To investigate the effect of triptolide on fibrosis in mice with cerulein-induced chronic pancreatitis( CP) based on the nuclear factor-kappa B( NF-κB)/interleukin-6( IL-6) signaling pathway. Methods A total of 15 male C57 BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group( treated with normal saline),cerulein group( model mice with cerulein-induced CP),and triptolide group( induced by cerulean and treated with triptolide),with 5 mice in each group. Samples were collected for detection after 6 weeks. The weight of the pancreas was measured; HE staining,picrosirius red staining,and Masson staining were used to observe pancreatic histomorphology and collagen deposition; ELISA was used to measure the expression of IL-6 in serum; immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin( α-SMA) and NF-κB/p65; Western blot was used to measure the expression of NF-κB/p65,IL-6,and α-SMA. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. Results There were significant differences between the three groups in the weight of the pancreas,IL-6 concentration,pathological score,picrosirius red staining results,Masson staining results,and mean optical density of positive α-SMA signal and positive NF-κB/p65 signal( F = 64. 87,15. 85,145. 33,141. 80,121. 77,250. 22,and 69. 22,all P < 0. 001). Compared with the cerulein group,the triptolide group had a significant increase in the weight of the pancreas and significant reductions in the expression of IL-6,pancreatic fibrosis,collagen deposition,and the expression of α-SMA and NF-κB/p65( all P < 0. 05). Western blotting showed that there were significant differences in the expression of NF-κB/p65,IL-6,andα-SMA between the three groups( F = 8. 86,6. 74,and 16. 23,all P < 0. 05),and compared with the cerulein group,the triptolide group had significantly lower expression of NF-κB/p65,IL-6,and α-SMA in the pancreatic tissue( all P < 0. 05). Conclusion Triptolide alleviates fibrosis in mice with cerulein-induced CP and inhibit the protein expression of NF-κB/p65 and IL-6.