• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.89-93
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• 2002

To investigate the postmortem changes in hepatic cell membrane, the rats were sacrificed with cervical dislocation and kept in an incubator at $25^{\circ}C$, 70% of humidity for 12 hours. The biochemical experiments in postmortem were done at 2, 4, 8 and 12 hours. The degree of rigor mortis and algor mortis were increased with the time during 12 hours. The contents of hepatic malondialdehyde were rapidly increased ai 2 hours, and gradually decreased afterward. In histological findings, after 8 hours, the clotted blood was seen in central vein and sinusoids, and especially portal veins were dilated a1though the structure of hepatic lobules was preserved well. Furthermore, both in the histochemical and enzymatic examinations, membrane bounding alkaline phosphatase activities were gradually decreased with the time. In conclusion, the activity of membrane bounding alkaline phosphatase was linearly decreased with time in the early postmortem period and so it might be referred to the possibility fur the estimation of death time in the early postmortem period.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.271-277
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• 1992

Rat hepatocytes were isolated by collagenase perfusion method and cultured on the collagen coated dish or on the floating collagen membrane. Using the primary cu1tured hepatocytes, the efficiency of cell attachment and the hepatic functions such as gluconeogenesis, ureogenesis and albumin synthesis were studied. The cell viability was kept above 50% until 5 days and the hepatic functions of ammonia metabolism and albumin synthesis were maintained until 7 days. Floating collagen membrane was found to be more efficient than the collagen coated dish for the maintenance of hepatic function in-vitro.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 1999

Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) is known as a potential hepatic carcinogen by single administration. This study was designed to measure the effects of DEN-induced cell damage on the triglyceride and cholesterol concentration in the liver, excluding dietary effects. Fertilized chicken eggs, 10 days before hatching, were randomly divided into three groups (n=20) and each egg was injected 10 ${mu}ell$ of corn oil (vehicle control), 5 $\mu\textrm{g}$ of DEN/10 ${mu}ell$ of DEN/10 ${mu}ell$ into yolk via air sac. After 48 hr and 96 hr incubation, the damage of the chick-embryo liver cell was investigated by electron microscopy and by measuring the concentration of lipid components (total cholesterol, free cholesterol, phospholipid and triglyceride). For eggs administered 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$ of DEN and incuvated 96 hr, in hepatocyte, the nucleus membrane was roughed, the size of nucleolus was apparently increased and euchromatin was accumulated. Mitochondria were condensed and cristae, located mitochondiral inner membrane, were obscured. Additionally, the leaves of triglyceride and cholesterol classes were significantly increased depend on the amount treated with 10 $\mu\textrm{g}$ DEN at 96 hr, but phospholipids component of cell membrane, were decreased with significance. As a conclusion, carcinogen induced hepatic lesion was correlated with the changes in lipid component of liver.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.179-191
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• 1990

A central dogma of pharmacology is that only unbound drug is capable of translocation across biological membrane. Thus, hepatic uptake is assumed to be solely determined by the unbound concentration of the diffusible moiety at the surface of the liver cell. However, an increasing number of experimental observations with xenobiotics that are normally very extensively bound to plasma proteins (>99%) appear to be inconsistent with these assumptions. This suggested that in addition to progressive spontaneous dissociation within the liver sinusoids and space of Disse, direct interactions of the albumin-drug complex at the plasma membrane may facilitate dissociation of the complex. To explain this phenomena. called albumin-mediated uptake, 4 mechanisms have been suggested. The validity of such hypotheses needs to be examined by the further study. Because albumin-mediated uptake has also been observed to occur in other plasma proteins, protein-mediated uptake rather than albumin-mediated uptake seems to be acceptable.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.473-479
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• 2005

Possible mechanism of decreased catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity in cholestatic rat liver was studied. Hepatic and serum COMT activities were determined from the experimental rats with common bile duct ligation (CBDL). The Michaelis-Menten constants in this hepatic enzyme were also measured. The activities of cytosolic, mitochondrial and mircosomal COMT as well as their Vmax values were found to be decreased significantly in CBDL plus taurocholic acid (TCA) injected group than in the control group, such as CBDL alone groups. However, their Km values in the experimental groups did not vary. Serum COMT activity increased slightly in the CBDL plus TCA injected group than in the control group. The above results suggest that TCA represses biosynthesis of the COMT in the liver. The elevated activity of the serum COMT is believed to be caused by the increment of membrane permeability of hepatocytes upon TCA mediated liver cell necrosis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2004

Changes of thiol methyltransferase (TMT) activity in cholestatic rat liver were studied. Hepatic subcellular and serum TMT activities were determined in cholestatic rat induced by common bile duct (CBD) ligation over a period 28 days. The mitochondrial and microsomal TMT activities in cholestatic rat liver were found to be significantly increased between the 1st and the 28th day after CBD ligation. The TMT activity in serum was significantly increased throughout the experiments. The Vmax values of the above hepatic TMT in cholestatic rat were significantly increased at the 7th day after CBD ligation. However, the Km values of the above hepatic enzymes did not vary in all the experimental groups. Therefore, the results indicate that the biosynthesis of TMT was increased in cholestatic rat liver. The elevated serum TMT activity is most likely caused by increased hepatocytes membrane permeability due to cholestasis mediated liver cell necrosis.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.421-427
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• 2004

The possible mechanisms of decreased monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B activities in cholestatic rat liver were studied. Hepatic and serum MAG activities were determined from the experimental rats with common bile duct ligation (CBDL). The Michaelis-Menten constants in these hepatic enzymes were also measured. The activities of mitochondrial MAO A and B, and mircosomal MAO B as well as their Vmax values were found to be decreased significantly in CBDL plus taurocholic acid (TCA) injected group than in the control group, such as CBDL alone groups. However, their Km values in the experimental groups did not vary. Serum MAO activity increased significantly in the CBDL plus TCA injected group than in the control group. The above results suggest that TCA represses biosynthesis of the MAO in the liver. The elevated activity of the serum MAO is believed to be caused by the increment of membrane permeability ofhepatocytes upon TCA mediated liver cell necrosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.438-445
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• 2009

We investigated global gene expression from both mouse liver and mouse hepatic cell lines treated with acetaminophen (APAP) in order to compare in vivo and in vitro profiles and to assess the feasibility of the two systems. During our analyses of gene expression profiles, we picked up several down-regulated genes, such as the cytochrome P450 family 51 (Cyp51), sulfotransferase family cytosolic 1C member 2 (Sult1c2), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-Coenzyme A synthase 1 (Hmgcs1), and several genes that were up-regulated by APAP, such as growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible 45 alpha (Gadd45a), transformation related protein 53 inducible nuclear protein 1 (Trp53inp1) and zinc finger protein 688 (Zfp688). For validation of gene function, synthesized short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) for these genes were transfected in a mouse hepatic cell line, BNL CL.2, for investigation of cell viability and mRNA expression level. We found that siRNA transfection of these genes induced down-regulation of respective mRNA expression and decreased cell viability. siRNA transfection for Cyp51 and others induced morphological alterations, such as membrane thickening and nuclear condensation. Taken together, siRNA transfection of these six genes decreased cell viability and induced alteration in cellular morphology, along with effective inhibition of respective mRNA, suggesting that these genes could be associated with APAP-induced toxicity. Furthermore, these genes may be used in the investigation of hepatotoxicity, for better understanding of its mechanism.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.251-259
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• 2018

Objective : Kurarinone is one of the flavonoids isolated from Sophorae Radix with various biological activities including anti-microbial effect. In this study, we investigated the effects of Kurarinone on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP)-induced oxidative stress finally leading to apoptosis in human hepatoma cell line HepG2. Methods : To determine the effects on cell viability, the cells were exposed to tBHP ($100{\mu}mol/l$) after pretreatment with kurarinone (0.5 and $1{\mu}g/ml$). Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. To reveal the possible mechanism of cytoprotectivity of kurarinone, levels of reactive oxygen species, intracellular glutathione, mitochondrial membrane potential, and expression of caspase were examined. Results : tBHP-induced cell death was due to oxidative stress and the resulting apoptosis. Kurarinone dose-dependently protected cells from apoptosis when determined by MTT and TUNEL assay. Consistent with this observation, decreased expression of pro-caspase 3/9 protein by tBHP was restored by kurarinone. Kurarinone also showed anti-oxidative effects by inhibiting generation of ROS and depletion of GSH in tBHP-stimulated HepG2 cells. In addition, kurarinone significantly recovered disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) as a start sign of hepatic apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. Conclusion : From these results, it was concluded that kurarinone protected tBHP-induced hepatotoxicity with anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic activities. Our results suggest that kurarinone might be beneficial to hepatic disorders caused by oxidative stress.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.56-61
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• 1998

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of vitamin A on the membrane property and ultrastructure in ethanol-administered rat livers. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing of 130 ~150g were fed with experimental diets for 7 weeks. The diets contained different types of vitamin A which were $\beta$-carotene, retinyl acetate and retinoic acid. After feeding theexperimental diets for 7 weeks, a dose of 3.0g ethanol (30%, W/V)/kg B.W was injected to rats intraperitoneally. Control rats received 0.9% saline containing isocaloric sucrose instead of ethanol. Plasma membrane fluidity of liver decreased in rats fed with vitamin a -Deficient diet with ethanol as compared to that of control rats. Fluidity change of liver plasma membrane that ethanol had induced was influenced by dietary supplementation of vitamin A, but not influenced by the type of supplemented vitamin. A . The ultrastructural changed of hepatic mitrochondria were observed in some rats such as vitamin A-deficient rats with ethanol. Inadequate consumptionof vitamin A contributed to ultrastructural changes such as swelled mitochondria occurred by ethanol-induced hepatotoxicity. Although accurate mechanism involved in the plasma membrane-stabilizing effect of vitamin A is still unclear, dietary supplementation of vitamin A such as retinyl acetate is neede to modulate this change. The direct involvement of membrane property on the cell damage caused by ethanol treatment remains to be established.