Abstract: Objective To investigate the role of small hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting FAK gene on activation and proliferation in rat hepatic stellate cells （HSC）. Methods Two pairs of DNA sequences containing small hairpin structure and one pair of non-specific control sequence were cloned into the plasmid pGenesil-1 and the recombinant plasmids were then transfected into HSC-T6 by cationic polymer gene transfection reagent. The expression of FAK was detected by real-time PCR and Western blot. The proliferation of HSC was detected by MTT assay. The expression of the marker of HSC activation, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), was assessed by Western blot. Results The FAK shRNAs could inhibit the expression of FAK at mRNA and protein levels, and shRNA2 could decrease FAK expression by 76.82% in mRNA level. FAK shRNAs could significantly inhibit the proliferation of HSC and decrease the protein expression of α-SMA in rat HSC. Conclusion The specific FAK shRNA may have an inhibitory effect on the proliferation and activation in rat HSC.

Key words: small interfering RNA, RNA interference, focal adhesion kinase, hepatic stellate cells