Conophylline is a natural alkaloid extracted from a tropical plant Ervatamia microphylla. Conophylline is a differentiation inducer of for pancreatic cells and suppresses HSC and induces apoptosis.

Conophylline (100 ng/ml; 48 hours) reproduces differentiation-inducing activity but not the apoptosis-inducing activity of activin. Conophylline (100 ng/ml; 72 hours) exhibits the differentiation-inducing activity in AR42J cells and converts these cells to endocrine cells. Conophylline increases the expression of neurogenin-3 by activating p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase to induce differentiation of AR42J cells [1]. Conophylline inhibits DNA synthesis induced by serum. Conophylline reduces the expression of α-SMA and collagen-1 in rat HSC and Lx-2 cells. Conophylline also promotes activation of caspase-3 and induces apoptosis in Lx-2 Cells [2].

Conophylline (0.9 mg/kg; p.o.; daily; for 12 weeks) attenuates the formation of the liver fibrosis induced by TAA in vivo [2].