妊娠及哺乳期母鼠注射麻黄素对仔鼠肝组织TGF-β1和c-Fos表达的影响

为探讨妊娠及哺乳期小鼠(Mus musculus)注射麻黄素后对仔鼠肝组织TGF-β1及c-Fos表达的影响,将30例受孕小鼠随机分为对照组和麻黄素组。麻黄素组小鼠从受孕第3天开始连续腹腔注射6.0 g/L麻黄素溶液直到分娩后15天,每天注射2次,每次0.2 ml;对照组每天2次注射等量的生理盐水。称量检测仔鼠体重和肝重的变化,同时用免疫组织化学方法检测仔鼠肝组织中细胞生长因子TGF-β1和原癌基因c-Fos蛋白表达的变化。麻黄素组仔鼠体重与对照组相比显著降低(P0.05或P0.01),肝体比与对照组相比明显升高(P0.05或P0.01),仔鼠肝组织中TGF-β1和c-Fos蛋白阳性表达强度与对照组相比有不同程度的增强(P0.05或P0.01),表明妊娠及哺乳期小鼠注射麻黄素影响仔鼠肝的发育。     

Preventive role of gallic acid on hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats

There is little information about the hepatoprotective effects of gallic acid against ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) damage. Animals were subjected to I/R. Gallic acid at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg body weight (bw) were injected as a single dose prior to ischemia. Liver tissue homogenates were used for the measurement of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels. At the same time alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were assayed in serum samples and compared statistically. While the ALT, AST, LDH activities and MDA levels were significantly increased, CAT and GPx activities significantly decreased in only I/R-induced control rats compared to normal control rats (P < 0.05). Treatment with gallic acid at a dose of 100 mg/kg bw significantly decreased the ALT, AST, LDH activities and MDA levels, and markedly increased activities of CAT and GPx in tissue homogenates compared to I/R-induced rats with no treatment group (P < 0.05). In oxidative stress generated by hepatic ischemia–reperfusion, gallic acid contributes partially an alteration in the delicate balance between the scavenging capacity of antioxidant defense systems and free radicals in favour of the antioxidant defense systems in the body.     

Vitamin D and melatonin protect the cell’s viability and ameliorate the CCl4 induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 and Hep3B hepatoma cell lines

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) is widely used to induce liver toxicity in in vitro/in vivo models. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) begins with toxicity and affects cell viability. Recently, the beneficial effects of melatonin and Vitamin D on cell proliferation in human normal and cancer cells were found. This study was planned to evaluate antioxidant and cytoprotective activity of melatonin and Vitamin D in CCl₄ induced cytotoxicity in HepG2 and Hep3B hepatoma cell lines. Based on the cytotoxicity assay, melatonin and Vitamin D were evaluated for cytotoprotective potential against CCl₄ induced toxicity in HepG2 and Hep3B liver cell lines by monitoring cell viability, LPO and glutathione (GSH) level. Different dosages of CCl₄ (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4 % v/v) were applied to HepG2 and Hep3B cells in order to determine the most toxic dosage of it in a time dependent manner. The same experiments were repeated with exogenously applied melatonin (MEL) and Vitamin D to groups treated with/without CCL₄. Cell viability was determined with MTT measurements at the 2nd, 24th and 48th h. GSH content and Malondialdehyde levels were measured from the cell lysates. As a result, both melatonin and Vitamin D administration during CCl₄ exposure protected liver cells from CCl₄ induced cell damage. Increase in LPO and decrease in GSH were found in the CCl₄ groups of both cells. Contrary to these results administration of MEL and Vitamin D on cells exhibited results similar to the control groups. Therefore, melatonin and Vitamin D might be a promising therapeutic agent in several toxic hepatic diseases.     

肝细胞核因子4α与肝脏疾病

肝细胞核因子4α(hepatic nuclear factor 4 alpha,HNF4α)属于细胞核受体超家族成员,它在肝脏的发育、肝细胞分化成熟过程中起重要调控作用。HNF4α有阻断肝纤维化、肝硬化、肝癌的疾病进程,改善肝脏功能的作用。另外,HNF4α在肝干细胞移植方面也发挥重要作用,提高肝细胞移植的成功率。本文就HNF4α在肝细胞中的表达、作用及其相关疾病的研究进展做一综述。     

The twists and turns of sphingolipid pathway in glucose regulation

Palmitic acid is a saturated fat found in foods that lead to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and Type II diabetes. It is linked to the development of resistance to insulin stimulation in muscle, liver and other organs involved in glucose metabolism, which, in turn, underlines the onset of Type II diabetes. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of this insulin resistance are complex and not completely understood. This article is focused on the role of palmitic acid as a precursor in the synthesis of sphingolipids, a class of lipid molecules that participate in cellular stress response. Recent evidence had indicated that increased dietary supply of palmitate can stimulate the rate of sphingolipid synthesis in “lean” tissues and generate excessive amounts of sphingolipid metabolites that have a negative effect on the insulin signaling cascade. Many experimental results point to the existence of a causative link between sphingolipid synthesis, insulin response, and hyperglycemia. It is not yet clear, however whether ceramides or glycosphingolipids are involved as both have been implicated to be inhibitors of the insulin signaling cascade. Evidence for a coordinated regulation of sphingolipid and tri/diacylglycerol metabolism complicates further the delineation of a single mechanism of sphingolipid effect on glucose homeostasis.     

Complement is required for the induction of endotoxic fever in guinea pigs and mice

(1) Cobra venom factor (CVF)-induced hypocomplementemia dose-dependently attenuates the febrile responses of guinea pigs and mice to intraperitoneally (ip) but not to intravenously (iv) injected endotoxic bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). (2) Iv but not ip LPS causes fever in complement component 3 (C3) gene-ablated mice, but neither iv nor ip LPS evokes a body core temperature (T_c) rise when WT and these mice's C5a receptors type 1 are blocked. C5 knockout mice also do not develop fever following either iv or ip LPS. C5a thus appears to be a critical mediator of LPS fever. (3) C5 knockouts develop fever in response to intracerebroventricularly (icv) injected LPS or prostaglandin (PG)E₂; the site of action of C5a is therefore peripheral rather than central. (4) The initiation of the febrile responses to both iv and ip LPS is temporally correlated with the appearance of LPS in the liver's Kupffer cells (Kc). (5) PGE₂ is released by liver in immediate response to the injection of CVF into the portal vein of anesthetized guinea pigs; its level rises quickly to its maximum. LPS injected similarly also evokes a quick release of PGE₂ from the liver; it, however, is prevented by prior hypocomplementation. (6) Neither LPS nor IL-1β induces PGE₂ release from Kc in vitro within the first hour after treatment, but serum C and C plus LPS or IL-1β very quickly trigger PGE₂ increases of similar magnitudes, catalyzed non-differentially by cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2. Kc would thus appear to be the principal site of action of C5a, inducing the release of PGE₂. (7) PGE₂ is detectable in the plasma of conscious guinea pigs in temporal correlation with the onset of the T_c rise following ip LPS; cytokines appear significantly later. (8) Taken together, these results indicate that LPS-activated C, rather than LPS or IL-1β by itself, triggers PGE₂ release by Kc. This PGE₂ could be the factor that stimulates vagal afferents, thereby providing the signal to the brain that mediates the febrile response.     

东方田鼠肝脏cDNA 文库的构建及部分克隆序列分析

东方田鼠(Microtus fortis)隶属于啮齿目仓鼠科(Cricetidae)田鼠亚科(Microtinae)田鼠属(Microtus),主要分布于我国西北、东北及南方16个省区.     

玉米蛋白粉替代鱼粉对大黄鱼生长、血清生化指标及肝脏组织学的影响

为探讨玉米蛋白粉替代鱼粉对大黄鱼(Larimichthys crocea) 幼鱼生长、血清生化指标及肝脏组织形态的影响, 进行了为期56d的养殖试验, 探索玉米蛋白粉替代大黄鱼幼鱼饲料鱼粉的适当比例。以初始体重为(10.49±0.03) g的大黄鱼幼鱼为研究对象, 用玉米蛋白粉替代基础饲料(含40%鱼粉)0、15%、30%、45%、60%和75%的鱼粉来配制6种等氮(粗蛋白含量45%)等脂(粗脂肪含量10%)的实验饲料, 分别标记为C0、C15、C30、C45、C60、C75组。除C0以外的替代组分别添加了适量的晶体氨基酸(赖氨酸和蛋氨酸)。结果表明, 玉米蛋白粉替代水平对大黄鱼幼鱼存活率、试验鱼特定生长率、饲料系数均无显著性差异(P>0.05)。C45和C60组肌肉粗蛋白含量显著高于C0组(P<0.05), 肌肉粗脂肪含量C45组显著高于C0、C15和C75组 (P<0.05), C45、C60和C75组肌肉水分显著低于C0组(P<0.05), 全鱼粗蛋白、粗脂肪、水分含量无显著差异(P>0.05); 灰分含量有上升趋势, C75组显著高于其他组(P<0.05)。各替代组的血清白蛋白、白球比、谷草转氨酶、葡萄糖均无显著性差异(P>0.05); 随着替代比例的升高, 总胆固醇有降低的趋势, 除C15组与C0无显著性差异外(P>0.05), 4组均显著低于CO组(P<0.05); 实验探讨替代后对鱼的影响, C75组血清总蛋白和球蛋白含量显著低于C0组(P<0.05); C75组血清谷草转氨酶含量显著高于C0(P<0.05)。各处理组总抗氧化能力、过氧化氢酶、谷胱甘肽过氧化氢酶均没有显著性影响(P>0.05), 但替代组总抗氧化能力含量均高于C0; 丙二醛在C75组显著高于C0组(P<0.05)。通过肝组织学观察表明, 当替代比例高于45%时, 呈现肝细胞核偏位、胞浆内脂肪滴较多、细胞透明空泡化等症状。综上所述, 在实验条件下, 研究认为玉米蛋白粉替代鱼粉对大黄鱼幼鱼的适宜添加量为45%。