Aerial Parts and Roots of Pulsatilla koreana Affect the Viability of HSC-T6 Hepatic Stellate Cells

During liver fibrosis, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) undergo a complex activation process characterized by increased proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition, which is the major pathological feature of hepatic cirrhosis. Therefore, suppression of HSCs activation has been proposed as therapeutic strategies for hepatic fibrosis. We tried to screen the antifibrotic activity of natural products employing HSC-T6, hepatic stellate cell lines as an in vitro assay system. In the present study, we investigated the antiproliferative activity of aerial parts and roots of Pulsatilla koreana Nakai (Ranunculaceae). Our present study shows that roots of P. koreana exerted more strong inhibitory activity compared to its aerial parts. In addition, among the fractions of the aqueous methanolic extract of P. koreana roots, both n-hexane and $CHCl_3$ fraction showed the strong inhibitory activity on HSC proliferation. Further study also demonstrated that the n-hexane and $CHCl_3$ fraction of P. koreana roots significantly inhibited the HSC proliferation in time- and concentration-related manners.