Sulphasalazine Prevents Fibrosis; Relevance of TGFβRI

Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the protective effect of sulphasalazine on liver fibrosis. Besides; investigation of the expression pattern of transforming growth factor β receptor I (TGFβRI) in liver fibrosis and the possible modulatory effect of sulphasalazine on it.

Study Design: Controlled experiment.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of pharmacy (boys) Al-Azhar University, between February 2015 and June 2015.

Methodology: Five Sprague-Dawley rats groups were used for the experiment. Control group: Receiving corn oil; DMSO group: Injected with DMSO; 6 weeks group: Injected with 50% CCl4 in corn oil; sulphasalazine group: Injected with sulphasalazine and CCl4 and finally mesalazine group: were given mesalazine and CCl4. On the day after the last dose, rats were anesthetized with diethyl ether and blood samples were collected for measurement of blood chemistry. The animals then were euthanized, and livers were harvested and divided into 2 parts; one part was processed for standard histology and immunofluorescence techniques and the other was homogenized for oxidative status assessment.

Results: TGFβRI has been shown to be upregulated in chronic liver injury; fibrosis stage; with expression occurring mainly in cell membrane of lesion area. This expression was decreased significantly with sulphasalazine treatment. Sulphasalazine has shown to have ability to diminish fibrosis in chronic liver injury. This decrease in fibrosis observed with sulphasalazine was in parallel with decrease in TGFβRI expression. Besides; this action of sulphasalazine has been suggested to be due to the whole molecule not to its moiety; mesalazine.

Conclusion: TGFβRI may be used as a candidate marker for diagnosis and prognosis of chronic liver diseases. Besides; it may be used as a target therapy for chronic liver diseases. Moreover; sulphasalazine might be a promising adjuvant therapy for chronic liver diseases.