Carbon monoxide generated from heme degradation suppresses fibrogenic activities of TGF-b1 in primary hepatic stellate cells: involvement of the activation of ERK MAPK pathway

Aims: Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in heme catabolism, which can degrade heme into carbon monoxide (CO), biliverdin and free iron. Previous study have been shown HO-1 can be expressed in activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which might function as a “homeostatic“ molecule in controlling the development of liver fibrosis. However, the mechanism for HO-1 to exert such effects remains largely unknown. In present study, we aim to investigate the role of HO-1 and its enzymatic products in TGF-b1 mediated fibrogenic pathway in primary stellate cells. Methods and results: The fibrogenic activ…