The induction of glycogenolysis in the perfused liver by platelet activating factor is mediated by prostaglandin D2 from Kupffer cells

Induction of glycogenolysis in the perfused liver by platelet activating factor (PAF) was blocked by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin. 3H-labeled PAF was shown to interact in the perfused liver primarily with Kupffer cells. The addition of PAF to Kupffer cells resulted in a dose-dependent stimulation of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) production, which was identified as the main eicosanoid formed after PAF stimulation of the Kupffer cells. PGD2 was able to induce a dose-dependent stimulation of glycogenolysis both in the perfused liver and in isolated parenchymal cells. The time-dependency of the PGD2 production and the glucose output by the perfused liver is consistent with a primary interaction of PAF with the Kupffer cells, followed by PGD2 formation, which subsequently stimulates glucose production in parenchymal cells.     

Prostaglandin D2 mediates the stimulation of glycogenolysis in the liver by phorbol ester.

The tumour-promoting phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), when added to the perfused liver, stimulates glycogenolysis 2-fold. This stimulation is not seen when aspirin is present in the perfusion medium. In isolated parenchymal liver cells. PMA is not able to stimulate glycogenolysis, suggesting that its effect on glycogenolysis might be indirect and depends on the presence of the non-parenchymal liver cell types. To test the possible operation of an indirect mechanism, we measured the amount of prostaglandin (PG) D2 in liver perfusates. After addition of PMA, the amount of PGD2 is doubled, in parallel with the increase in glycogenolysis. Glycogenolysis in both isolated parenchymal liver cells and perfused liver could be stimulated by the addition of PGD2. Our data indicate that stimulation of glycogenolysis in the liver by PMA may be mediated by non-parenchymal liver cells, which produce PGD2 in response to PMA. Subsequently PGD2 activates glycogenolysis in the parenchymal liver cells. The intercellular communication inside the liver in response to PMA adds a new mechanism to the complex regulation of glucose homoeostasis by the liver.     

Hormonal control of glycogenolysis in parenchymal liver cells by Kupffer and endothelial liver cells

Conditioned media of isolated Kupffer and endothelial liver cells were added to incubations of parenchymal liver cells, in order to test whether secretory products of Kupffer and endothelial liver cells could influence parenchymal liver cell metabolism. With Kupffer cell medium an average stimulation of glucose production by parenchymal liver cells of 140% was obtained, while endothelial liver cell medium stimulated with an average of 127%. The separation of the secretory products of Kupffer and endothelial liver cells in a low and a high molecular weight fraction indicated that the active factor(s) had a low molecular weight. Media, obtained from aspirin-pretreated Kupffer and endothelial liver cells, had no effect on the glucose production by parenchymal liver cells. Because aspirin blocks prostaglandin synthesis, it was tested if prostaglandins could be responsible for the effect of media on parenchymal liver cells. It was found that prostaglandin (PG) E1, E2, and D2 all stimulated the glucose production by parenchymal liver cells, PGD2 being the most potent. Kupffer and endothelial liver cell media as well as prostaglandins E1, E2, and D2 stimulated the activity of phosphorylase, the regulatory enzyme in glycogenolysis. The data indicate that prostaglandins, present in media from Kupffer and endothelial liver cells, may stimulate glycogenolysis in parenchymal liver cells. This implies that products of Kupffer and endothelial liver cells may play a role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis by the liver.     

Metabolic control analysis. An application of signal flow graphs.

In order to study particle phagocytosis and glycogenolysis simultaneously, this study was designed to develop a direct-read-out method to monitor Kupffer-cell function continuously, based on the uptake of colloidal carbon by the isolated perfused rat liver. Livers were perfused for 20 min with Krebs-Henseleit buffer saturated with O2/CO2 (19:1). Colloidal carbon (1-2 mg/ml) was added to the buffer, and absorbance of carbon was monitored continuously at 623 nm in the effluent perfusate. Since colloidal-carbon uptake was proportional to A623, rates of uptake were determined from the influent minus effluent concentration difference, the flow rate and the liver wet weight. Rates of colloidal-carbon uptake were 50-200 mg/h per g and were proportional to the concentration of carbon infused. Data from light-microscopy and cell-separation studies demonstrated that carbon was taken up exclusively by non-parenchymal cells and predominantly by Kupffer cells. Further, the amount of colloidal carbon detected histologically in non-parenchymal cells increased as the concentration of colloidal carbon in the perfusate was elevated. When Kupffer cells were activated or inhibited by treatment with endotoxin or methyl palmitate, carbon uptake was increased or decreased respectively. Taken together, these results indicate that Kupffer-cell function can be monitored continuously in a living organ. This new method was utilized to compare the time course of phagocytosis of carbon by Kupffer cells and carbohydrate output by parenchymal cells. Carbohydrate output increased rapidly by 69 +/- 9 mumol per g within 2-4 min after addition of carbon and returned to basal values within 12-16 min. However, carbon uptake by the liver did not reach maximal rates until about 15 min. Infusion of a cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, aspirin (10 mM), caused a progressive decrease in carbohydrate output and blocked the stimulation by carbon completely. Aspirin neither altered rates of carbon uptake nor prevented stimulation of carbohydrate release by addition of N2-saturated buffer. The data from these experiments are consistent with the hypothesis that output of mediators by Kupffer cells, presumably prostaglandin D2 and E2, occurs transiently as Kupffer cells begin to phagocytose foreign particles in the intact organ, a process which continues at high rates for hours.     

Conditioned media of Kupffer and endothelial liver cells influence protein phosphorylation in parenchymal liver cells. Involvement of prostaglandins.

The possible role of Kupffer and endothelial liver cells in the regulation of parenchymal-liver-cell function was assessed by studying the influence of conditioned media of isolated Kupffer and endothelial cells on protein phosphorylation in isolated parenchymal cells. The phosphorylation state of three proteins was selectively influenced by the conditioned media. The phosphorylation state of an Mr-63,000 protein was decreased and the phosphorylation state of an Mr-47,000 and an Mr-97,000 protein was enhanced by these media. These effects could be mimicked by adding either prostaglandin E1, E2 or D2. Both conditioned media and prostaglandins stimulated the phosphorylase activity in parenchymal liver cells, suggesting that the Mr-97,000 phosphoprotein might be phosphorylase. Parenchymal liver cells secrete a phosphoprotein of Mr-63,000 and pI 5.0-5.5. The phosphorylation of this protein is inhibited by Kupffer- and endothelial-liver-cell media, and prostaglandins E1, E2 and D2 had a similar effect. The data indicate that Kupffer and endothelial liver cells secrete factors which influence the protein phosphorylation in parenchymal liver cells. This forms further evidence that products from non-parenchymal liver cells, in particular prostaglandin D2, might regulate glucose homoeostasis and/or other specific metabolic processes inside parenchymal cells. This stresses the concept of cellular communication inside the liver as a way by which the liver can rapidly respond to extrahepatic signals.     

Cellular communication inside the liver. Binding, conversion and metabolic effect of prostaglandin D2 on parenchymal liver cells.

The major eicosanoid produced within the rat liver, prostaglandin (PG) D2, wa studied for its ability to interact with the various liver cell types. It appeared that PGD2 bound specifically to parenchymal liver cells, whereas the binding of PGD2 to Kupffer and endothelial liver cells was quantitatively unimportant. Maximally 700 pg of PGD2/mg of parenchymal-cell protein could be bound by a high-affinity site (1 x 10(6) PGD2-binding sites/cell). The recognition site for PGD2 is probably a protein because trypsin treatment of the cells virtually abolished the high-affinity binding. High-affinity binding of PGD2 was a prerequisite for the induction of a metabolic effect in isolated parenchymal liver cells, i.e. the induction of glycogenolysis. High-affinity binding of PGD2 by parenchymal cells was coupled to the conversion of PGD2 into three metabolites, whereas no conversion of PGD2 by Kupffer and endothelial liver cells was noticed. The temperature-sensitivity of the conversion of PGD2 was consistent with a conversion of PGD2 on or in the vicinity of the cell membrane. One of the PGD2 metabolites could be identified as 9 alpha, 11 beta-PGF2. It can be calculated that the conversion rate of PGD2 by parenchymal liver cells exceeds the production rate of PGD2 by Kupffer plus endothelial liver cells, indicating that PGD2 is meant to exert its activity within the liver. The present finding that PGD2 formed by the non-parenchymal liver cells is recognized by a specific receptor on parenchymal liver cells and that binding, conversion and metabolic effect of PGD2 are interlinked by this receptor provides further support for the specific role of PGD2 in the intercellular communication in the liver.     

Induction of ornithine decarboxylase in rat liver by phorbol ester is mediated by prostanoids from Kupffer cells

Administration of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) to rats in vivo resulted in the induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity in the liver which could be blocked by preinjection of indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor. In vitro administration of PMA to primary cultures of rat parenchymal cells did not lead to an induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity. It was investigated to what extent non-parenchymal liver cells could play an intermediary role in the expression of the PMA effect on ornithine decarboxylase activity in parenchymal liver cells. Addition of conditioned medium from PMA-activated Kupffer cells to cultured parenchymal cells led to the induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity in parenchymal cells. This effect was not observed with conditioned medium from untreated Kupffer cells or from Kupffer cells treated with PMA plus indomethacin. Conditioned media from PMA-treated or untreated endothelial liver cells were ineffective in the induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity in parenchymal liver cells. Prostaglandin D2, the main eicosanoid produced by Kupffer cells, was able to stimulate the synthesis of ornithine decarboxylase in parenchymal liver cells (up to 40-fold) in a dose-dependent way. Prostaglandin (PG) D2 appeared to be a more potent inducer of ornithine decarboxylase activity in parenchymal cells than PGE1 and PGE2. It is concluded that intercellular communication inside the liver mediated by prostaglandins derived from activated Kupffer cells may form a mechanism to induce synthesis of specific proteins in parenchymal cells.     

Stimulation of hepatic glycogenolysis by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate.

In isolated perfused rat livers, infusion of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) (150 nM) resulted in a 3-fold stimulation of the rate of glucose production. This response was maximal at a perfusate PMA concentration of 150 nM, and was significantly diminished at higher concentrations of PMA (e.g. 300 nM). Stimulation of glycogenolysis by PMA was greatly decreased in livers perfused with Ca2+-free medium. PMA infusion into livers perfused in the absence of Ca2+ did not result in Ca2+ efflux from the livers. Additionally, in hepatocytes isolated from livers of fed rats, neither PMA nor 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-rac-glycerol stimulated the rate of glucose production. Although indomethacin has been demonstrated to block PMA-stimulated hepatic glycogenolysis [Garcia-Sainz & Hernandez-Sotomayor (1985) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 132, 204-209], infusion of PMA into perfused rat livers did not alter the rates of production of either prostaglandin E2 or 6-oxo-prostaglandin F1 alpha in the livers. These data, along with the observed increases in the perfusion pressure and decrease in O2 consumption in isolated perfused livers suggest that phorbol-ester-stimulated glycogenolysis is not a consequence of a direct effect of phorbol ester on liver parenchymal cells.     

Beta 2-adrenergic agonist regulation of immune aggregate- and platelet-activating factor-stimulated hepatic metabolism

Vasoconstriction and subsequent glycogenolysis stimulated by immune complex infusion into perfused rat livers was inhibited by prior infusion of isoproterenol. Similarly, isoproterenol inhibited the biosynthesis of bioactive lipid autacoids such as platelet-activating factor, prostaglandin E2, and thromboxane B2 which was stimulated by immune aggregates. The adrenergic receptor specificity of these effects was determined through the use of specific adrenergic subtype-specific agonists and antagonists to be mediated by beta 2-adrenergic receptors. Indirect evidence for the differential expression of hepatic sinusoidal and parenchymal beta-adrenergic receptors in the male rat during ontogeny suggested that inhibition of immune aggregate-stimulated autacoid biosynthesis, vasoconstriction, and glycogenolysis by isoproterenol occurs at a sinusoidal locus, most likely Kupffer cells. In contrast with the ability of beta 2-adrenergic agonists to inhibit immune aggregate- and platelet-activating factor-stimulated hepatic metabolism, dibutyryl cyclic AMP did not mimic these sinusoidal beta 2-adrenergic effects, despite stimulating hepatic parenchymal cell glycogenolysis as effectively as isoproterenol. These observations suggest a role for cyclic AMP-independent mechanisms in the regulation of heterologous stimulus-response coupling by hepatic sinusoidal beta 2-adrenergic receptors.     

Regulation of immune-aggregate-stimulated hepatic glycogenolysis and vasoconstriction by vicinal dithiols.

Evidence suggesting that vicinal dithiols regulate immune-aggregate-induced vasoconstriction and glycogenolysis in the perfused rat liver was obtained. Phenylarsine oxide (PhAsO) and other tervalent organic arsenicals inhibited in a dose-dependent manner hepatic glycogenolysis, vasoconstriction, Ca2+ mobilization and the stimulated O2 consumption caused by immune-aggregate infusion. Polar tervalent and quinquivalent arsenicals were less effective than hydrophobic arsenicals. Prior infusion of Fc- but not Fab-fragments of IgG prevented partially immune-aggregate-stimulated hepatic metabolism, suggesting that immune aggregates elicit hepatic metabolic responses through Fc gamma receptors. The inhibitory action of PhAsO on immune-aggregate-stimulated hepatic glycogenolysis was unique; inhibition of glycogenolysis was not observed when phenylephrine, isoprenaline or glucagon was used as a stimulant. Although PhAsO might be expected to sequester cellular thiols, no significant change in the oxidation-reduction state of the major cellular thiol, glutathione, was found during PhAsO infusion. In addition, PhAsO exerted its effects without producing changes in hepatic adenine nucleotides and cyclic AMP. Evidence suggesting the involvement of vicinal dithiols was obtained through thiol-competition experiments using mono- and di-thiols. PhAsO inhibition of IgG-aggregate-stimulated hepatic vasoconstriction and glycogenolysis was reversed significantly by infusion of 2,3-dimercaptopropan-1-ol at 3-fold molar excess, whereas 2-mercaptoethanol at 40-fold molar excess was ineffective. The results of the present study provide evidence documenting the participation of vicinal dithiols during the coupling of hepatic immune-aggregate clearance by Kupffer cells with vasoconstriction of the hepatic vasculature (e.g. endothelial cells) and glycogenolysis (e.g. parenchymal cells).     

Effects of beta-adrenergic stimulation on 1-O-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine-mediated vasoconstriction and glycogenolysis in the perfused rat liver

The beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol inhibited the glycogenolytic response of platelet-activating factor (AGEPC, 1-O-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) in perfused livers derived from fed rats. AGEPC-stimulated hepatic vasoconstriction, measured by increases in portal vein pressure, also was inhibited by prior isoproterenol infusion. Isoproterenol-mediated inhibition of these hepatic responses to AGEPC was not apparent when isoproterenol (10 microM) was coinfused with the beta-receptor antagonist propranolol (75 microM) or when isoproterenol was replaced with the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (10 microM). alpha-Agonist-induced glycogenolysis and vasoconstriction in the perfused liver was unaffected by isoproterenol infusion. Glucagon (2.3 nM) had no effect on the glycogenolytic or vasoconstrictive responses of the liver to AGEPC despite the fact that glucagon increased hepatic cAMP levels to a far greater extent than isoproterenol. Additionally, inhibition of the hepatic responses to AGEPC by isoproterenol occurred in perfused livers from mature rats (i.e. greater than 300 g) in which liver parenchymal cells lack functional beta-adrenergic receptors. The data presented in this study illustrate a specific inhibition of AGEPC-induced hepatic glycogenolysis and vasoconstriction by beta-adrenergic stimulation of the perfused liver. This inhibition appears to be mediated by interaction of isoproterenol with nonparenchymal cells within the liver. These findings are consistent with the concept that AGEPC stimulates hepatic glycogenolysis by an indirect mechanism involving hepatic vasoconstriction.     

Microsomal and cytosolic epoxide hydrolases, the peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation system and catalase. Activities, distribution and induction in rat liver parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells

A number of structurally unrelated hypolipidaemic agents and certain phthalate-ester plasticizers induce hepatomegaly and proliferation of peroxisomes in rodent liver, but there is relatively limited data regarding the specific effects of these drugs on liver non-parenchymal cells. In the present study, liver parenchymal, Kupffer and endothelial cells from untreated and fenofibrate-fed rats were isolated and the activities of two enzymes associated with peroxisomes (catalase and the peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation system) as well as cytosolic and microsomal epoxide hydrolase were measured. Microsomal epoxide hydrolase, cytosolic epoxide hydrolase and catalase activities were 7-12-fold higher in parenchymal cells than in Kupffer or endothelial cells from untreated rats; the peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation activity was only detected in parenchymal cells. Fenofibrate increased catalase, cytosolic epoxide hydrolase and peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation activities in parenchymal cells by about 1.5-, 3.5- and 20-fold, respectively. The induction of catalase (2-3-fold) and cytosolic epoxide hydrolase (3-5-fold) was also observed in Kupffer and endothelial cells; furthermore, a low peroxisomal fatty acid beta-oxidation activity was detected in endothelial cells. Morphological examination by electron microscopy showed that peroxisomes were confined to liver parenchymal cells in untreated animals, but could also be observed in endothelial cells after administration of fenofibrate.     

Platelet-activating factor increases inositol phosphate production and cytosolic free Ca2+ concentrations in cultured rat Kupffer cells

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) stimulates glycogenolysis in perfused livers but not in isolated hepatocytes [(1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 8685-8688]. PAF-induced glycogenolysis in liver is associated closely with a pronounced constriction of the hepatic vasculature [(1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261, 644-649]. These and other observations suggest that PAF stimulates glycogenolysis in liver indirectly by interactions with cells other than hepatocytes. We have evaluated effects of PAF on hepatic Kupffer cells, which regulate flow through the hepatic sinusoids. Application of PAF to [3H]inositol-labeled Kupffer cells produced dose-dependent increases in [3H]inositol phosphates with an EC50 value of 4 x 10(-10) M. Increases in inositol phosphate production in response to PAF were inhibited by a specific PAF receptor antagonist, SRI 63-675 (2 x 10(-7) M), and stimulus of protein kinase C, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (1 x 10(-7) M). Measurements of cytosolic free Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) in single Kupffer cells loaded with Fura-2 demonstrated that application of PAF (2 x 10(-9) M) resulted in significant increases in [Ca2+]i. These observations lead us to propose that interactions of PAF with Kupffer cells may result in the hemodynamic and metabolic responses to PAF in liver.     

Platelet-activating factor-stimulated hepatic glycogenolysis is not mediated through cyclooxygenase-derived metabolites of arachidonic acid

Platelet-activating factor (1-O-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (AGEPC)) is a potent lipid mediator which stimulates hepatic glycogenolysis, causes hepatic vasoconstriction, and stimulates the production of cyclooxygenase-derived metabolites of arachidonic acid, primarily prostaglandin (PG) D2 in the perfused liver. Following infusion of platelet-activating factor (1 nM) in the perfused rat liver the production of PGD2, measured in the effluent perfusate, increased 4-fold after only 2 min. Infusion of the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, ibuprofen (50 microM), abolished the stimulated production of PGD2 and thromboxane B2 in response to AGEPC without significantly affecting the hepatic glycogenolytic or vasoconstrictive responses to AGEPC. Contrary to previous reports, these observations do not support the suggestion that cyclooxygenase-derived metabolites mediate directly either the glycogenolytic or the vasoactive effects of AGEPC in the perfused rat liver.     

Output and effects of thromboxane produced by the liver perfused with phorbol myristate acetate

The capacity of the perfused rat liver to produce thromboxane after stimulation by phorbol myristate acetate was examined. A total of 109 +/- 20 and 155 +/- 28 pmol/g liver were found in the perfusate and in the bile, respectively, after 40 min. The amount of thromboxane recovered in the perfusate and in the bile accounted for 12.6% of the production calculated from the same number of Kupffer cells in primary cultures, indicating that a major part of thromboxane was taken up and inactivated by hepatocytes. The effect of endogenously synthesized thromboxane on the liver was assessed by using CGS 13080, a thromboxane synthase inhibitor, or BM 13.177, a thromboxane receptor antagonist. 20 nM CGS 13080 in the perfusate inhibited the synthesis of thromboxane and at the same time the elevation of portal pressure and glycogenolysis following administration of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The thromboxane receptor antagonist BM 13.177 did not inhibit the synthesis of thromboxane, but reduced the PMA-related elevation of portal pressure and glycogenolysis to the same extent (greater than 60%) as CGS 13080. Sodium nitroprusside, a vasodilator, inhibited the rise in portal pressure caused by PMA to the same extent as CGS 13080 or BM 13.177 but reduced the increase in glycogenolysis only by 25%. These results indicate that thromboxane released by stimulated Kupffer cells of the liver elevates portal pressure and glycogenolysis in the perfused rat liver, although by different mechanisms.     

The interaction in vivo of transferrin and asialotransferrin with liver cells.

Rat transferrin or asialotransferrin doubly radiolabelled with 59Fe and 125I was injected into rats. A determination of extrahepatic and hepatic uptake indicated that asialotransferrin delivers a higher fraction of the injected 59Fe to the liver than does transferrin. In order to determine in vivo the intrahepatic recognition sites for transferrin and asialotransferrin, the liver was subfractionated into parenchymal, endothelial and Kupffer cells by a low-temperature cell isolation procedure. High-affinity recognition of transferrin (competed for by an excess of unlabelled transferrin) is exerted by parenchymal cells as well as endothelial and Kupffer cells with a 10-fold higher association (expressed per mg of cell protein) to the latter cell types. In all three cell types iron delivery occurs, as concluded from the increase in cellular 59Fe/125I ratio at prolonged circulation times of transferrin. It can be calculated that parenchymal cells are responsible for 50-60% of the interaction of transferrin with the liver, 20-30% is associated with endothelial cells and about 20% with Kupffer cells. For asialotransferrin a higher fraction of the injected dose becomes associated with parenchymal cells as well as with endothelial and Kupffer cells. Competition experiments in vivo with various sugars indicated that the increased interaction of asialotransferrin with parenchymal cells is specifically inhibited by N-acetylgalactosamine whereas mannan specifically inhibits the increased interaction of asialotransferrin with endothelial and Kupffer cells. Recognition of asialotransferrin by galactose receptors from parenchymal cells or mannose receptors from endothelial and Kupffer cells is coupled to active 59Fe delivery to the cells. It is concluded that, as well as parenchymal cells, liver endothelial and Kupffer cells are also quantitatively important intrahepatic sites for transferrin and asialotransferrin metabolism, an interaction exerted by multiple recognition sites on the various cell types.     

Uptake of LDL in parenchymal and non-parenchymal rabbit liver cells in vivo. LDL uptake is increased in endothelial cells in cholesterol-fed rabbits.

1. Hepatic uptake of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in parenchymal cells and non-parenchymal cells was studied in control-fed and cholesterol-fed rabbits after intravenous injection of radioiodinated native LDL (125I-TC-LDL) and methylated LDL (131I-TC-MetLDL). 2. LDL was taken up by rabbit liver parenchymal cells, as well as by endothelial and Kupffer cells. Parenchymal cells, however, were responsible for 92% of the hepatic LDL uptake. 3. Of LDL in the hepatocytes, 89% was taken up via the B,E receptor, whereas 16% and 32% of the uptake of LDL in liver endothelial cells and Kupffer cells, respectively, was B,E receptor-dependent. 4. Cholesterol feeding markedly reduced B,E receptor-mediated uptake of LDL in parenchymal liver cells and in Kupffer cells, to 19% and 29% of controls, respectively. Total uptake of LDL in liver endothelial cells was increased about 2-fold. This increased uptake is probably mediated via the scavenger receptor. The B,E receptor-independent association of LDL with parenchymal cells was not affected by the cholesterol feeding. 5. It is concluded that the B,E receptor is located in parenchymal as well as in the non-parenchymal rabbit liver cells, and that this receptor is down-regulated by cholesterol feeding. Parenchymal cells are the main site of hepatic uptake of LDL, both under normal conditions and when the number of B,E receptors is down-regulated by cholesterol feeding. In addition, LDL is taken up by B,E receptor-independent mechanism(s) in rabbit liver parenchymal, endothelial and Kupffer cells. The non-parenchymal liver cells may play a quantitatively important role when the concentration of circulating LDL is maintained at a high level in plasma, being responsible for 26% of hepatic uptake of LDL in cholesterol-fed rabbits as compared with 8% in control-fed rabbits. The proportion of hepatic LDL uptake in endothelial cells was greater than 5-fold higher in the diet-induced hypercholesterolaemic rabbits than in controls.     

Hepatic clearance of Sonazoid perfluorobutane microbubbles by Kupffer cells does not reduce the ability of liver to phagocytose or degrade albumin microspheres

This study has been performed to examine which cells are responsible for the hepatic clearance of the new ultrasound contrast agent Sonazoid and to study whether uptake of these gas microbubbles disturbs the function of the cells involved. Sonazoid was injected into rats and perfused fixed livers were studied by electron microscopy, which revealed that the Sonazoid microbubbles were exclusively internalised in Kupffer cells, i.e. by the macrophages located in the liver sinusoids, and not by parenchymal, stellate or endothelial cells. This is the first demonstration of intact phagocytosed gas microbubbles within Kupffer cells. Uptake of the Sonazoid perfluorobutane microbubbles by the Kupffer cells following injection of a dose corresponding to 20x the anticipated clinical dose for liver imaging did not result in measurable changes in the uptake and degradation of radioactively labelled albumin microspheres previously shown to be a useful indicator marker for Kupffer cell phagocytosis.     

Endothelin, a potent peptide agonist in the liver

Endothelin, a peptide mediator produced by vascular endothelial cells, caused sustained vasoconstriction of the portal vasculature in the perfused rat liver. The vasoactive effect of endothelin was accompanied by increased glycogenolysis and alterations in hepatic oxygen consumption. The endothelin-induced increase in the portal pressure was concentration-dependent with an EC50 of 1 nM. Endothelin-induced hepatic glycogenolysis was dose-dependent but exhibited a different EC50 than for the vasoconstrictive effects of endothelin. Hepatic vasoconstriction and glycogenolysis following endothelin infusion were inhibited when Ca2+ was removed from the perfusion medium. The endothelin-induced responses in the liver were not altered by prior infusion of phenylephrine (alpha-adrenergic agonist), isoproterenol (beta-adrenergic agonist), angiotensin II, glucagon, platelet-activating factor, or the platelet-activating factor antagonist, BN52021. However, repeated infusion of endothelin resulted in desensitization of the glycogenolytic response but was without a significant effect on hepatic vasoconstriction. Endothelin also stimulated metabolism of inositol phospholipids in isolated hepatocytes and Kupffer cells in primary culture. The present experiments demonstrate, for the first time, that endothelin is a very potent agonist in the liver eliciting both a sustained vasoconstriction of the hepatic vasculature and a significant increase in hepatic glucose output.     

Release of osmolytes induced by phagocytosis and hormones in rat liver

Betaine, taurine, and inositol participate as osmolytes in liver cell volume homeostasis and interfere with cell function. In this study we investigated whether osmolytes are also released from the intact liver independent of osmolarity changes. In the perfused rat liver, phagocytosis of carbon particles led to a four- to fivefold stimulation of taurine efflux into the effluent perfusate above basal release rates. This taurine release was inhibited by 70-80% by the anion exchange inhibitor DIDS or by pretreatment of the rats with gadolinium chloride. Administration of vasopressin, cAMP, extracellular ATP, and glucagon also increased release of betaine and/or taurine, whereas insulin, extracellular UTP, and adenosine were without effect. In isolated liver cells, it was shown that parenchymal cells and sinusoidal endothelial cells, but not Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells, release osmolytes upon hormone stimulation. This may be caused by a lack of hormone receptor expression in these cells, because single-cell fluorescence measurements revealed an increase of intracellular calcium concentration in response to vasopressin and glucagon in parenchymal cells and sinusoidal endothelial cells but not in Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells. The data show that Kupffer cells release osmolytes during phagocytosis via DIDS-sensitive anion channels. This mechanism may be used to compensate for the increase in cell volume induced by the ingestion of phagocytosable material. The physiological significance of hormone-induced osmolyte release remains to be evaluated.