Abstract:
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Silibinin capsules on liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection, and to analyze its influence on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways.
METHODS A total of 98 patients with chronic HBV infection admitted to Ulanqab Central Hospital from Jun 2017 to Dec 2019 were selected and randomly divided into treatment group(n=49) and routine group(n=49). Patients in routine group were given routine hepatoprotective drug treatment, and patients in treatment group were given Silibinin capsules on the basis of routine group. The changes in liver function, liver fibrosis and oxidative stress indexes were compared between the two groups before and after treatment, and the HBV DNA level and alanine aminotransferase(ALT) reversion rate of patients in the two groups were recorded at 36 weeks and 72 weeks after treatment. The levels of serum Wnt3 a, β-catenin and DKK1 of patients in the two groups before and after treatment were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).
RESULTS After treatment, the levels of ALT, aspartate aminotransferase(AST), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase(γ-GT), hyaluronidase(HA), laminin(LN), type Ⅲ procollagen(PC Ⅲ), type Ⅳ collagen(PC Ⅳ), malondialdehyde(MDA), interleukin(IL)-4 and IL-10 in treatment group were significantly lower than those in routine group(
P<0.05), while the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and interferon-γ(IFN-γ) were significantly higher than those in routine group(
P<0.05). At 36 weeks and 72 weeks after treatment, the HBV DNA level of patients in treatment group was significantly lower than that in routine group(
P<0.05), while the ALT reversion rate was significantly higher than that in routine group(
P<0.05). After treatment, the levels of serum Wnt3 a and β-catenin in treatment group were significantly lower than those in routine group(
P<0.05) while the DKK1 level was significantly higher than that in routine group(
P<0.05).
CONCLUSION Silibinin capsules in treating chronic HBV infection can protect liver function, inhibit liver fibrosis, relieve oxidative stress injury and inflammatory response, block HBV DNA replication, and promote liver function recovery. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways.