• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.169-176
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• 2007

Objective : This study purposed to investigate the anti-oxidative effect of Lithospermi Radix (root of Lithospermum erythrorhizon S.) on liver cells isolated from oxidatvely stressed rat by AAPH. Method : We investigate effects of Lithospermi Radix(LR) and its fractions on normal liver cells' proliferation. And the amounts of SOD, GSH, catalase, NO, MDA production by liver cells isolated from the oxidatively stressed rat by AAPH also were measured after incubation with various fractions of LR extraction. Results : LR and its fracitons showed no toxicity on the normal liver cells from rat. LR and its fracitons increased the activity of SOD and reduced the amounts of NO and MDA in the liver cells from the oxidatively stressed rat. Conclusion : Lithospermi Radix could be supposed to have antioxidant effect on liver cells with no toxicity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.12
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• pp.633-638
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• 2022

Liver regeneration is a well-known systemic homeostatic phenomenon. The N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification pathway has been associated with liver regeneration and hepatocellular carcinoma. m⁶A methyltransferases, such as methyltransferase 3 (METTL3) and methyltransferase 14 (METTL14), are involved in the hepatocyte-specific-regenerative pathway. To illustrate the role of METTL14, secreted from non-parenchymal liver cells, in the initiation phase of liver regeneration, we performed 70% partial hepatectomy (PH) in Mettl14 heterozygous (HET) and wild-type (WT) mice. Next, we analyzed the ratio of liver weight to body weight and the expression of mitogenic stimulators derived from non-parenchymal liver cells. Furthermore, we evaluated the expression of cell cycle-related genes and the hepatocyte proliferation rate via MKI67-immunostaining. During regeneration after PH, the weight ratio was lower in Mettl14 HET mice compared to WT mice. The expressions of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, mitogens derived from non-parenchymal liver cells that stimulate the cell cycle, as well as the expressions of cyclin B1 and D1, which regulate the cell cycle, and the number of MKI67-positive cells, which indicate proliferative hepatocyte in the late G1-M phase, were significantly reduced in Mettl14 HET mice 72 h after PH. Our findings demonstrate that global Mettl14 mutation may interrupt the homeostasis of liver regeneration after an acute injury like PH by restraining certain mitogens, such as HGF and TNF-α, derived from sinusoidal endothelial cells, stellate cells, and Kupffer cells. These results provide new insights into the role of METTL14 in the clinical treatment strategies of liver disease.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.181-187
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• 2010

Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the critical causative factors leading to alcoholic liver disease (ALD). ALD is characterized by a wide spectrum of liver damage, ranging from simple uncomplicated liver steatosis (fatty liver) to steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. It has been believed that the obvious underlying cause for ALD is due to hepatocyte death induced by alcohol itself. However, recent sparkling studies have shown that diverse immune responses contribute to ALD because liver is enriched with numerous immune cells. Especially, a line of evidence has suggested that innate immune cells such as Kupffer cells and natural killer (NK)/NKT cells are significantly involved in the pathogenesis of ALD via production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and other mediators. Indeed, more interestingly, hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), known as a major cell inducing liver steatosis and fibrosis, can be killed by liver NK cells, which could be suppressed by chronic alcohol consumption. In this review, with the view of liver as predominant innate immune organ, we describe the pathogenesis of ALD in which what roles of innate immune cells are and how they are interacting with HSCs.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.166-174
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• 2022

Hepatic macrophages are key immune cells associated with the broad ranges of liver diseases including steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis. Hepatic macrophages interact with other immune cells and orchestrate hepatic immune circumstances. Recently, the heterogenous populations of hepatic macrophages have been discovered termed residential Kupffer cells and monocyte-derived macrophages, and identified their distinct population dynamics during the progression of various liver diseases. Liver injury lead to Kupffer cells activation with induction of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which triggers recruitment of inflammatory monocyte-derived macrophages. To understand liver pathology, the functions of different subtypes of liver macrophages should be regarded with different perspectives. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the roles of hepatic macrophages under liver damages and suggest hepatic macrophages as promising therapeutic targets for treating liver diseases.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.91-98
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• 2004

Although 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin(TCDD) is a powerful carcinogen in several species, limited model system exist to study carcinogenicity of this compound at cellular level. To enhance our under-standing of carcinogenicity of TCDD at cellular level, we investigated micronucleus (MN) frequency as a index of genetic toxicity and whether TCDD can transform the human cells in culture. Normal human cell lines, skin keratinocyte HaCaT, Chang liver and breast MCF10A cells were used. TCDD did not affect the cell viability of the Chang liver, HaCaT and MCF10A cells. The frequency of micronucleus was increased after treatment of TCDD for 24hr in Chang liver and HaCaT cells, but not changed in MCF10A cells. And we observed putative transformed cells in Chang liver cells exposed to 1 $\mu$M TCDD for 2 weeks. The putative transformed cells were also observed in HaCaT cells with subsequent exposure to TCDD (0.1, 1, 10, 100 nM) for 2 weeks after initial exposure to MNNG, but not observed in MCF10A cells. Collectively, these results indicate that the ability of TCDD to induce micronuclei may be involved in cellular transformation of Chang liver and HaCaT cells. Our putative TCDD-transformed cells of Chang liver and HaCaT are expected to provide a clue to the elucidation of TCDD-induced transformation pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.299-301
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• 1997

The asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR) was the first described mammalian lectin that mediates the specific binding and internalization of galactose/N-acetylgalactosamine-terminating glycoproteins by hepatic parenchymal cells. H1 and H2 are known as essential subunits of the functional ASGPR. There were close similarities in ASGPR H2 subunits between cultured cell line HepG2 and normal human liver cells including identical sequences at both termini. It was therefore expected that there may be some similarities between the subunits from normal liver cells and fetal liver cells. The two subunits of human fetal liver ASGPR. designated FL-H1 and FL-H2. were cloned from cDNA library by peR and the sequences were compared with the known HI and H2 sequences of HepG2, and the H1 sequence of nornal human liver cells. The results showed that FL-H1 was identical to H1 of HepG2. Whereas FL-H2 contains a 15-bp miniexon, but missing 57-bp at the near upstream from the membrane-spanning domain compared to H2 of HepG2 and normal human liver cells indicating that FL-H2 resulted from a differential splicing compared to HepG2 and normal liver cells.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Over several decades, a hierarchical cancer stem cell (CSC) model has been established in development of solid cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). In terms of this concept, HCCs originate from liver CSCs. Clinically HCCs show a wide range of manifestations from slow growth to very aggressive metastasis. One of the reasons may be that liver CSCs originate from different cells. This review describes the basic concept of CSCs and the cellular origin of liver CSCs.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.762-767
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• 2006

Danshen is an herbal medication frequently used in oriental medicine to treat liver or kidney malfunction. In the course of our studies, we observed that compounds purified from Danshen exhibit an inhibitory activity against Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 (DDR2) tyrosine kinase. Through this inhibition, these compounds also inhibited the growth of HSC T6 cells and suppressed the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin and MMP2, as well as collagen synthesis, all of which are increased in activated liver stellate cells. Given that activation of liver stellate cells is the hallmark of liver fibrosis and that DDR2 plays a critical role in this activation, these results suggest that one of the pharmacological activities of Danshen extract that protects the liver is the inhibition of key cell-signaling kinases, such as DDR2, in liver stellate cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.188-191
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• 1995

The Present study was undertaken to indicate the major source of NO by liver cells in vitro. Even at early stages of induction or low LPS concentrations, NO was produced at high rates by LPS(Lipopolysaccharide) on the isolated rat kupffer cells. PMA(phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) induced NO formation at low rates in the same cells. IFN-${\gamma}$ (Interferon-${\gamma}$) alone had not induced NO formation but it stimulated the effects of LPS. Calcium ionophore A23187 caused no stimulatory effect. It suggests that LPS has especially strong NO inducer on the kupffer cells and its mechanism is related to those on macrophage in other organs. In other nonparenchymal liver cells, sinusoidal endothelial cells were not stimulated to produce NO either by inducers of aortic endothelium(A23187, ATP and ADP) or by effectors of macrophages(LPS, IFN-${\gamma}$. This results suggest that rat liver kupffer cells appear to be the major source of NO by liver cells in vitro. But in vivo, liver endothelial cells may still be capable of producing NO. Furthermore, kupffer cells may produce factors that facilitate NO production by the endothelial cells.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.3-9
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• 2001

In the view of oriental medicine, the liver is the general of the army in its function of protecting against the enemy. So this concept is very closely associated to the immunological function. Its relations with immunological function are as follows. 1. The liver produces most of the proteins and converts them with hepatocytes, composes 80% in total reticuloendothelial system with Kuffer cells & endothelial cells and has typical structure of sinusoidal vessels closely related with the blood system. 2. The liver plays an important role in innate immunity with Kuffer cells as well as with the molecules that the liver produces, related to complementary systems. 3. In the embryonic period, the liver is associated with immune associated cell growth and their maturation. After birth, it is associated with removing old red blood cells and with systematically modulating immune system through hormone metabolism. 4. The liver controls the autoimmune disease resulting from immune complex by removing molecules like immune complex. 5. In the processing of blood 19A from the digestive system, the liver has an important role in protecting the body from unnecessary immune responses. 6. In the oriental medical view, liver plays a major role in the immune function by storing blood and dispersing stagnated hepatoqi with the help of the kidneys and spleen.