Cell protection by fructose is independent of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in paracetamol injury to rat liver slices

Spectrochemical determination of effects on rat liver of binary exposure to benzo[a]pyrene and 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent environmental contaminants. The effects in organisms of exposures to binary mixtures of such contaminants remain obscure. Attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a label-free, non-destructive analytical technique allowing spectrochemical analysis of macromolecular components, and alterations thereof, within tissue samples. Herein, we employed ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to identify biomolecular changes in rat liver post-exposure to B[a]P and BDE-47 (2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether) congener mixtures. Our results demonstrate that significant separation occurs between spectra of tissue samples derived from control versus exposure categories (accuracy = 87%; sensitivity = 95%; specificity = 79%). Additionally, there is significant spectral separation between exposed categories (accuracy = 91%; sensitivity = 98%; specificity = 90%). Segregation between control and all exposure categories were primarily associated with wavenumbers ranging from 1600 to 1700 cm^-1 . B[a]P and BDE-47 alone, or in combination, induces liver damage in female rats. However, it is suggested that binary exposure apparently attenuates the toxic effects in rat liver of the individual contaminants. This is supported by morphological observations of liver tissue architecture on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained liver sections. Such observations highlight the difficulties in predicting the endpoint effects in target tissues of exposures to mixtures of environmental contaminants.

Effects of Four Si-Wu-Tang's Constituents and Their Combination on Irradiated Mice

Effects of four Si-Wu-Tang (SWT)'s constituents, fructose (Fru), paeoniflorin (Pae), ferulic acid (FA), tetramethyl pyrazine (TP), and their combination on irradiated mice as model of anaemia were investigated, with the purpose of further understanding the relationship between SWT's constituents and activities. Similarly to SWT, oral administration of Fru, Pae, FA, TP and their combination, to some extent, all showed effects of increasing the number of peripheral leukocyte and increasing four types of progenitor cells in bone marrow, including colony-forming unit-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), colony-forming unit-mature erythroid (CFU-E), colony-forming unit-immature erythroid (BFU-E) and colony-forming unit-multipotential (CFU-mix). Pae and FA showed significant body weight reducing effect, which were largely abolished when they were combined with Fru and TP. The SWT, Fru and combination significantly increased the thymus index while Pae significantly decreased it. Both SWT and TP significantly increased the spleen index but the combination did not. The results suggested that multiple constituents contribute to the promoting effect of SWT on hematopoiesis. Although being a very common compound in plants, the Fru has a special contribution to SWT's effect, which cannot be neglected. It may be an important active constituent that is responsible for SWT's promoting effect on hematopoiesis and immunity. Another suggestion is that when being combined, some effect of one constituent, sometimes is unexpected side effect, may be abolished by other. This may reflect the advantage of multiple constituent characteristics possessed by most TCMs.

Mitochondrial permeability transition in acetaminophen-induced necrosis and apoptosis of cultured mouse hepatocytes

Acetaminophen overdose causes massive hepatic failure via mechanisms involving glutathione depletion, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. The ultimate target of acetaminophen causing cell death remains uncertain, and the role of apoptosis in acetaminophen-induced cell killing is still controversial. Our aim was to evaluate the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) as a key factor in acetaminophen-induced necrotic and apoptotic killing of primary cultured mouse hepatocytes. After administration of 10 mmol/L acetaminophen, necrotic killing increased to more than 49% and 74%, respectively, after 6 and 16 hours. MPT inhibitors, cyclosporin A (CsA), and NIM811 temporarily decreased necrotic killing after 6 hours to 26%, but cytoprotection was lost after 16 hours. Confocal microscopy revealed mitochondrial depolarization and inner membrane permeabilization approximately 4.5 hours after acetaminophen administration. CsA delayed these changes, indicative of the MPT, to approximately 11 hours after acetaminophen administration. Apoptosis indicated by nuclear changes, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling, and caspase-3 activation also increased after acetaminophen administration. Fructose (20 mmol/L, an adenosine triphosphate-generating glycolytic substrate) plus glycine (5 mmol/L, a membrane stabilizing amino acid) prevented nearly all necrotic cell killing but paradoxically increased apoptosis from 37% to 59% after 16 hours. In the presence of fructose plus glycine, CsA decreased apoptosis and delayed but did not prevent the MPT. In conclusion, after acetaminophen a CsA-sensitive MPT occurred after 3 to 6 hours followed by a CsA-insensitive MPT 9 to 16 hours after acetaminophen. The MPT then induces ATP depletion-dependent necrosis or caspase-dependent apoptosis as determined, in part, by ATP availability from glycolysis.

Comparison of paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in the rat in vivo with progression of cell injury in vitro in rat liver slices

The flux in rat hepatic ratio of adenosine triphosphate levels to adenosine diphosphate levels (ATP/ADP) during the onset and progression of paracetamol-induced cell injury both in vivo and in vitro were investigated and compared. Leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and potassium (K+), and mg water/mg dry weight quantified cell injury. ATP and ADP levels were determined using the luciferin-luciferase bioluminescence assay. For in vitro studies, liver slices obtained from phenobarbitone-induced rats were exposed to 10 mM paracetamol for 120 min (T0-T120) and, then incubated without paracetamol up to a further 240 min (T120-T360). For in vivo studies, groups of four phenobarbitone-induced rats received i.p. injections of 800 mg/kg paracetamol. ATP/ADP ratios fall upon exposure to paracetamol both in vitro and in vivo. However, unlike the in vitro situation where the fall in ATP/ADP ratios precedes and accompanies the progression of cell injury, the in vivo fall in ATP/ADP ratios is shown to occur as cell injury measurements begin to recover to control levels. However, despite these differences classic paracetamol-induced centrilobular necrosis is observed to occur both in vitro and in vivo. This study demonstrates that the liver slice model is a simple and useful technique to investigate the underlying mechanisms of paracetamol-induced cell injury.

Fructose and tagatose protect against oxidative cell injury by iron chelation

To further investigate the mechanism by which fructose affords protection against oxidative cell injury, cultured rat hepatocytes were exposed to cocaine (300 microM) or nitrofurantoin (400 microM). Both drugs elicited massively increased lactate dehydrogenase release. The addition of the ketohexoses D-fructose (metabolized via glycolysis) or D-tagatose (poor glycolytic substrate) significantly attenuated cocaine- and nitrofurantoin-induced cell injury, although both fructose and tagatose caused a rapid depletion of ATP and compromised the cellular energy charge. Furthermore, fructose, tagatose, and sorbose all inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner (0-16 mM) luminolenhanced chemiluminescence (CL) in cell homogenates, indicating that these compounds inhibit the iron-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated peroxidation of luminol. Indeed, both Fe2+ and Fe3+ further increased cocaine-stimulated CL, which was markedly quenched following addition of the ketohexoses. The iron-independent formation of superoxide anion radicals (acetylated cytochrome c reduction) induced by the prooxidant drugs remained unaffected by fructose or tagatose. The iron-chelator deferoxamine similarly protected against prooxidant-induced cell injury. In contrast, the nonchelating aldohexoses D-glucose and D-galactose did not inhibit luminol CL nor did they protect against oxidative cell injury. These data indicate that ketohexoses can effectively protect against prooxidant-induced cell injury, independent of their glycolytic metabolism, by suppressing the iron-catalyzed formation of ROS.

Comparison of protection by fructose against paracetamol injury with protection by glucose and fructose-1,6-diphosphate

We have compared the protective effect of fructose in normal Ringer solution during the onset and progression of cell injury induced by paracetamol in rat liver slices with the protective effect of glucose and fructose-1,6-diphosphate. Liver slices obtained from phenobarbitone-induced and non-induced rats were used in a model in vitro system. Slices were exposed to 10 mM paracetamol for 120 min and then incubated without paracetamol in the presence or absence of protective agents for a further 240 min. Cell injury was quantified by measuring leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and potassium (K+). Adenosinetriphosphate (ATP) levels were measured using the luciferin-luciferase bioluminescence assay. Addition of higher concentrations of glucose (10-50 mM) to Ringer solution were not found to result in protection at the end of incubation in paracetamol-treated slices obtained from phenobarbitone-induced rats. Neither did sucrose nor mannitol protect. However, exclusion of glucose from Ringer solution resulted in cell injury in paracetamol-treated slices obtained from non-induced rats. Methionine, a known antidote for paracetamol poisoning, failed to protect in this instances but fructose did protect. This suggests that the presence of a glycolytic substrate plays a crucial role in cell protection. Further evidence for this is the finding that iodoacetate, an inhibitor of glycolysis, not only increase cell injury in paracetamol-treated slices but also reverses fructose protection. Fructose-1,6-diphosphate was found to protect against the onset and progression of cell injury in paracetamol-treated slices obtained from phenobarbitone induced rats. This protective agent is found to maintain high ATP levels and cell viability in paracetamol-treated slices at a time when paracetamol-treated slices show a profound loss of ATP levels and a significant increase in cell injury as measured by leakage of LDH and K+.