Modulation of thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis/cirrhosis by sildenafil treatment

2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (12) ◽  
pp. 1055-1063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eman Said ◽  
Shehta A. Said ◽  
Nariman M. Gameil ◽  
Elsayed M. Ammar

Sildenafil citrate is a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. It enhances nitric-oxide-induced vasodilatation and it promotes angiogenesis. A relationship between angiogenesis and hepatic fibrosis has long been speculated, where the 2 are believed to progress together. In this study, the ability of sildenafil (10 mg·(kg body mass)–1, orally, once daily) to prevent and also reverse liver fibrosis/cirrhosis experimentally induced by thioacetamide injection (200 mg·kg–1, intraperitoneal (i.p.), 3 times·week–1) in male Sprague–Dawley rats has been investigated. Sildenafil administration, either to prevent or to reverse liver fibrosis/cirrhosis significantly improved the estimated hepatic functions, reduced hepatic hydroxyproline and, in turn, hepatic collagen content, as well as reducing serum levels of the pro-fibrogenic mediator transforming growth factor β1. In co-ordination with such improvement, fibrosis grades declined and fibrosis retracted. Herein, the observed results provide evidence for the potential therapeutic efficacy of sildenafil as an antifibrotic agent.

2014 ◽  
Vol 307 (6) ◽  
pp. F727-F735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Hovater ◽  
Wei-Zhong Ying ◽  
Anupam Agarwal ◽  
Paul W. Sanders

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β plays a central role in vascular homeostasis and in the pathology of vascular disease. There is a growing appreciation for the role of nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) as highly diffusible, bioactive signaling molecules in the vasculature. We hypothesized that both NO and CO increase endocytosis of TGF-β receptor type 1 (TβR1) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) through activation of dynamin-2, shielding cells from the effects of circulating TGF-β. In this study, primary cultures of VSMCs from Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with NO-releasing molecule 3 (a NO chemical donor), CO-releasing molecule 2 (a CO chemical donor), or control. NO and CO stimulated dynamin-2 activation in VSMCs. NO and CO promoted time- and dose-dependent endocytosis of TβR1. By decreasing TβR1 surface expression through this dynamin-2-dependent process, NO and CO diminished the effects of TGF-β on VSMCs. These findings help explain an important mechanism by which NO and CO signal in the vasculature by decreasing surface expression of TβR1 and the cellular response to TGF-β.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanik Sundari ◽  
Vivian Soetikno ◽  
Melva Louisa ◽  
Bantari W. Wardhani ◽  
Raymond R. Tjandrawinata

Phaleria macrocarpais one of the Indonesian herbal plants which has been shown to have a hepatoprotective effect. This study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of water extract of mahkota dewa (Phaleria macrocarpa) in liver fibrosis and to elucidate its mechanism of action. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 8 weeks to induce liver fibrosis. Rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=5), i.e., control group, CCl4 group, CCl4 + NAC group, CCl4 + various doses of water extract ofPhaleria macrocarpa(50, 100, and 150 mg/kg body weight). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), liver histopathology, malondialdehyde (MDA), ratio GSH/GSSG, Tumor Necrosis Factor- (TNF-)α, and Transforming Growth Factor- (TGF-)β1were analyzed.This study demonstrated that water extract ofPhaleria macrocarpaand NAC significantly protected CCl4-induced liver injury as demonstrated by reduced AST, ALT, ALP, and fibrosis percentage compared with the CCl4-only group. In addition, water extract ofPhaleria macrocarpaand NAC significantly reduced the levels of MDA, TNF-α, and TGF-β1as well as increasing the ratio of GSH/GSSG. Water extract ofPhaleria macrocarpaprevents CCl4-induced fibrosis in rats. The prevention of liver fibrosis was at least in part through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and through its capacity to inhibit hepatic stellate cells (HSC) activation by reducing fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β1.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 205873922110140
Author(s):  
Hao-Yuan Cheng ◽  
Jung Chao ◽  
Chuan-Sung Chiu ◽  
I-Chien Hsieh ◽  
Hui-Chi Huang ◽  
...  

This study was designed to investigate the hepatoprotective potentials of the Wu-Zi-Yuan-Chung-Wan (WZYCW) using an animal model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver injury. CCl4 induced chronic liver hepatotoxicity in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Excluding the control group, all of the rats with chronic liver fibrosis received 0.4% CCl4 (1.5 mL/kg of body weight, ip) twice per week for 8 weeks. WZYCW (20, 100, and 500 mg/kg) and silymarin (200 mg/kg) were administered five times per week for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, the rats were sacrificed, blood samples were obtained, and liver histological examinations were performed for subsequent assays. These results suggest that WZYCW considerably reduced Glutamic Oxaloacetic Transaminase (GOT), Glutamic Pyruvic Transaminase (GPT), Triglyceride (TG); and cholesterol activity; and the levels of malonaldehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the liver. WZYCW also increased the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) in liver tissue. WZYCW produced hepatoprotective and antifibrotic effects. This is the first study to demonstrate that WZYCW expressed hepatoprotective activity against CCl4 induced acute hepatotoxicity in rat. In addition, the primary compound of WZCYW was analyzed using HPLC. The major peaks of WZCYW, including schizandrin. The results indicate that WZYCW not only enhances hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities and inhibits lipid peroxidation but also suppresses inflammatory responses in CCl4 induced liver damage. Our findings provide evidence that WZYCW possesses a hepatoprotective activity to ameliorate chronic liver injury.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Shapouri-Moghaddam ◽  
Seyed Jalil Tavakkol Afshari ◽  
Mohammad-Hadi Saeed Modaghegh ◽  
Hamid Reza Rahimi ◽  
Mahmoud Mahmoudi ◽  
...  

Background: Studies suggest that cytokines are involved in the development of both inflammatory disorders and vascular diseases. Objective: The changes in transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), interleukin 6 (IL6), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and interferon γ (IFNγ) with the progression of the thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) symptomswereinvestigated in this research. Methods: This study included 80 patients with TAO, who were selected from the Vascular and Endovascular Research Center in Alavi Hospital between 2012 and 2016. They were then categorized into three groups: mild (migratory thrombophlebitis, cold sensitivity or Raynaud's phenomenon, and skin discoloration), moderate (chronic ulcers, claudication, and burning pain of the feet at night), and severe (pain at rest and spontaneous gangrene) symptoms. The serum levels of TGFβ, IL6, TNFα, and IFNγwere determinedby the ELISA method and compared among the groups. Results: The first three predominant symptoms were pulse disorder (n = 76, 95.00%), cold intolerance (n = 61, 76.25%), and claudication (n = 59, 73.75%). A comparison of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that both TGFβ and IL6 were dysregulatedas the severity of the symptoms increased from the moderate to the severe stages; however, such changes were not significant(p > 0.05). In the multiple logistic regression model, increased TNFαlevelswere seen in the presence of the moderatesymptoms as compared to the severe ones (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It could be concluded that TNFα, as part of the defining cytokine-production profile of Thelper cells, can be significantly involved in the progression of TAO from the moderate to the severe stages.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1084
Author(s):  
Junya Ono ◽  
Masayuki Takai ◽  
Ayami Kamei ◽  
Yoshinori Azuma ◽  
Kenji Izuhara

Periostin is known to be a useful biomarker for various diseases. In this article, we focus on allergic diseases and pulmonary fibrosis, for which we and others are now developing detection systems for periostin as a biomarker. Biomarker-based precision medicine in the management of type 2 inflammation and fibrotic diseases since heterogeneity is of utmost importance. Periostin expression is induced by type 2 cytokines (interleukin-4/-13) or transforming growth factor-β, and plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation or interstitial lung disease, respectively, andits serum levels are correlated disease severity, prognosis and responsiveness to the treatment. We first summarise the importance of type 2 biomarker and then describe the pathological role of periostin in the development and progression of type 2 allergic inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, then, we summarise the recent development of assay methods for periostin detection, and analyse the diseases in which periostin concentration is elevated in serum and local biological fluids and its usefulness as a biomarker. Furthermore, we describe recent findings of periostin as a biomarker in the use of biologics or anti-fibrotic therapy. Finally, we describe the factors that influence the change in periostin concentration under the healthy conditions.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 2443-2446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingwu Xu ◽  
Ali Ahmad ◽  
James F. Jones ◽  
Riccardo Dolcetti ◽  
Emanuela Vaccher ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is an immunosuppressive cytokine which can induce immunoglobulin A (IgA) switch and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) replication in latently infected cells. Here we report elevated serum levels of TGF-β in various EBV-associated diseases correlating positively with EBV-specific IgA titers and negatively with IgM titers, suggesting a role for this cytokine in the pathogenesis of these diseases.


Hypertension ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Casandra M Monzon ◽  
Jeffrey Garvin

About 50% of the Na reabsorbed in thick ascending limbs (TALs) traverses the paracellular pathway. The ionic selectivity of this route is regulated by claudins in the tight junctions. TALs express claudin-19 which has been reported to regulate TAL Na permeability. We showed that nitric oxide (NO) decreases Na/Cl permeability ratio (PNa/PCl) in TALs by increasing the absolute permeabilities of both ions though PCl increased more. However, whether NO affects paracellular permeability via claudin-19 is unknown. We hypothesize that NO regulates the paracellular permselectivity in TALs through this claudin. To test this we perfused TALs from Sprague Dawley rats and measured dilution potentials (a measure of permselectivity) with and without exogenously-added or endogenously-produced NO in the presence or absence of an antibody against an extracellular domain of claudin-19 or Tamm-Horsfall protein (control). Dilution potentials were generated by reducing bath NaCl from 141 to 32 mM. For the NO donor spermine NONOate (SPM): during the control period, the dilution potential was -9.3 ± 1.8 mV. After SPM (200 μM), it was -6.7 ± 1.6 mV (n = 6; p < 0.003). In the presence of the claudin-19 antibody, SPM had no significant effect on dilution potentials (claudin-19 antibody alone: -12.7 ± 2.1 mV vs claudin-19 antibody + SPM: -12.9 ± 2.4 mV; n = 6). The claudin-19 antibody alone had no effect on dilution potentials. In the presence of the Tamm-Horsfall protein, the effect of SPM was still present (Tamm-Horsfall protein antibody alone: -9.7 ± 1.0 mV; Tamm-Horsfall protein antibody + SPM: -6.3 ± 1.1 mV, p<0.006, n = 6). For experiments with endogenously-produced NO, L-arginine the substrate for NO synthase was added. During the control period, the dilution potential was -11.0 ± 1.1 mV. After L-arginine (500 μM) treatment, they were -9.0 ± 1.2 mV (n = 9; p < 0.05). In the presence of the claudin-19 antibody, L-arginine had no significant effect on dilution potentials (claudin-19 antibody alone: -10.1 ± 0.9 mV vs claudin-19 antibody + L-arginine: -10.1 ± 1.0 mV; n = 9). In the presence of the Tamm-Horsfall protein, the effect of L-arginine was still present. We conclude that the actions of NO on the paracellular permselectivity in thick ascending limbs are at least in part mediated by claudin-19.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002215542110536
Author(s):  
Ikuyo Inoue ◽  
Xian-Yang Qin ◽  
Takahiro Masaki ◽  
Yoshihiro Mezaki ◽  
Tomokazu Matsuura ◽  
...  

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) activation is involved in various pathogeneses, such as fibrosis and malignancy. We previously showed that TGF-β was activated by serine protease plasma kallikrein-dependent digestion of latency-associated peptides (LAPs) and developed a method to detect LAP degradation products (LAP-DPs) in the liver and blood using specific monoclonal antibodies. Clinical studies have revealed that blood LAP-DPs are formed in the early stages of liver fibrosis. This study aimed to identify the cell source of LAP-DP formation during liver fibrosis. The N-terminals of LAP-DPs ending at residue Arg58 (R58) were stained in liver sections of a bile duct-ligated liver fibrosis model at 3 and 13 days. R58 LAP-DPs were detected in quiescent hepatic stellate cells at day 3 and in macrophages on day 13 after ligation of the bile duct. We then performed a detailed analysis of the axial localization of R58 signals in a single macrophage, visualized the cell membrane with the anti-CLEC4F antibody, and found R58 LAP-DPs surrounded by the membrane in phagocytosed debris that appeared to be dead cells. These findings suggest that in the early stages of liver fibrosis, TGF-β is activated on the membrane of stellate cells, and then the cells are phagocytosed after cell death: (J Histochem Cytochem XX:XXX–XXX, XXXX)


2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (6) ◽  
pp. F1606-F1613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Libor Kopkan ◽  
Md Abdul H. Khan ◽  
Agnieszka Lis ◽  
Mouhamed S. Awayda ◽  
Dewan S. A. Majid

Although hypercholesterolemia is implicated in the pathophysiology of many renal disorders as well as hypertension, its direct actions in the kidney are not yet clearly understood. In the present study, we evaluated renal responses to administration of cholesterol (8 μg·min−1·100 g body wt−1; bound by polyethylene glycol) into the renal artery of anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. Total renal blood flow (RBF) was measured by a Transonic flow probe, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was determined by Inulin clearance. In control rats ( n = 8), cholesterol induced reductions of 10 ± 2% in RBF [baseline (b) 7.6 ± 0.3 μg·min−1·100 g−1], 17 ± 3% in urine flow (b, 10.6 ± 0.9 μg·min−1·100 g−1), 29 ± 3% in sodium excretion (b, 0.96 ± 0.05 μmol·min−1·100 g−1) and 24 ± 2% in nitrite/nitrate excretion (b, 0.22 ± 0.01 nmol·min−1·100 g−1) without an appreciable change in GFR (b, 0.87 ± 0.03 ml·min−1·100 g−1). These renal vasoconstrictor and anti-natriuretic responses to cholesterol were absent in rats pretreated with nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, nitro-l-arginine methylester (0.5 μg·min−1·100 g−1; n = 6). In rats pretreated with superoxide (O2−) scavenger tempol (50 μg·min−1·100 g−1; n = 6), the cholesterol-induced renal responses remained mostly unchanged, although there was a slight attenuation in anti-natriuretic response. This anti-natriuretic response to cholesterol was abolished in furosemide-pretreated rats (0.3 μg·min−1·100 g−1; n = 6) but remained unchanged in amiloride-pretreated rats (0.2 μg·min−1·100 g−1; n = 5), indicating that Na+/K+/2Cl− cotransport is the dominant mediator of this effect. These data demonstrate that cholesterol-induced acute renal vasoconstrictor and antinatriuretic responses are mediated by a decrease in NO production. These data also indicate that tubular effect of cholesterol on sodium reabsorption is mediated by the furosemide sensitive Na+/K+/2Cl− cotransporter.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengping Huang ◽  
Xin Lu ◽  
Xiaofeng Wang ◽  
Jian Shu

Abstract Background Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is mainly used for detecting white matter fiber in the brain. From this, DTI has been applied to assess fiber in liver disorders by prior studies. But non-sufficient data has been obtained if DTI could be used for exactly staging chronic hepatitis. This study is to assess the value of DTI for staging of liver fibrosis (F), necroinflammatory activity (A), and steatosis (S) of chronic hepatitis in rats. Methods Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control group(n = 10) and experimental group(n = 60). The rat models of chronic hepatitis were established by abdominal subcutaneous injections of 40% CCl4. All rats underwent 3.0T MRI. ROIs were placed on DTI to estimate MR parameters (rADC value and FA value). Histopathology was the reference standard. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the association between MR parameters and pathology. The differences in rADC value and FA value among pathological stages were evaluated by MANOVA or ANOVA. LSD was used to test the differences between each two groups. ROC analysis was performed. Results The numbers of each pathology were as follows: F0(n = 15), F1(n = 11), F2(n = 6), F3(n = 9), F4(n = 6); A0(n = 8), A1(n = 16), A2(n = 16), A3(n = 7); S0(n = 10), S1(n = 7), S2(n = 3), S3(n = 11), S4(n = 16). The rADC value had a negative correlation with liver fibrosis (r=-0.392, P = 0.008) and inflammation (r=-0.359, P = 0.015). FA value had a positive correlation with fibrosis (r = 0.409, P = 0.005). Significant differences were found in FA value between F4 and F0 ~ F3 (P = 0.03), while no significant differences among F0 ~ F3 were found (P > 0.05). AUC of FA value in differentiating F4 from F0 ~ F3 was 0.909(p < 0.001) with 83.3% Sensitivity, 85.4% specificity when the FA value was at the cut-off of 588.089(× 10− 6mm2/s). Conclusion FA value for DTI can distinguish early cirrhosis from normal, mild and moderate liver fibrosis.


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