Abstract: AIM: To investigate the effects of agonist and antagonist of radenoreceptor (α₁-AR) on the proliferation and apoptosis of rat hepatic stellate cells (HSC-T6). METHODS: After the drug was administered to the cultured HSC-T6; MTT assay was used to α₁-evaluate the proliferation of HSC-T6; ELISA assay was used to evaluate the produce of cAMP in HSC-T6; flow cytometer (FCM) was used to test the apoptosis of HSC-T6; the expression of nuclear factor-κBp65 (NF-κBp65) protein was detected by immunocytochemical technique. RESULTS: In the in vitro experiments, phenylephrine (10^-5,10^-7,10^-9 mol/L) significantly decreased the produce of cAMP in HSC-T6, promoted HSC-T6 proliferation, enhanced the expression of NF-κBp65 protein and inhibited the apoptosis of HSC-T6, on the contrary to the antagonist prazosin (10^-5,10^-7,10^-9 mol/L) of α₁-AR. CONCLUSION: Phenylephrine can promote proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of the cultured HSC-T6, while prazosin has opposite effect. Its mechanism might be associated with the α₁-adenoreceptor by meditating the produce of cAMP and the expression of nuclear factor kappa Bp65 in HSC-T6.

Key words: Hepatic stellate cell, Proliferation, Apoptosis