Effect of shear stress on the migration of hepatic stellate cells

When the liver is damaged, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) can change into an activated, highly migratory state. The migration of HSCs may be affected by shear stress due not only to sinusoidal flow but also by the flow in the space of Disse because this space is filled with blood plasma. In this study, we evaluated the effects of shear stress on HSC migration in a scratch-wound assay with a parallel flow chamber. At regions upstream of the wound area, the migration was inhibited by 0.6 Pa and promoted by 2.0 Pa shear stress, compared to the static condition. The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB receptor, PDGFR-β, was expressed in all conditions and the differences were not significant. PDGF increased HSC migration, except at 0.6 Pa shear stress, which was still inhibited. These results indicate that another molecular factor, such as PDGFR-α, may act to inhibit the migration under low shear stress. At regions downstream of the wound area, the migration was smaller under shear stress than under the static condition, although the expression of PDGFR-β was significantly higher. In particular, the migration direction was opposite to the wound area under high shear stress; therefore, migration might be influenced by the intercellular environment. Our results indicate that HSC migration was influenced by shear stress intensity and the intercellular environment.