Hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin as delivery system for thyroid hormones, regulating glutathione S-transferase expression in rat hepatocyte co-cultures

Isolation and identification of potential cancer chemopreventive agents from methanolic extracts of green onion (Allium cepa)

Phase II xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes confer amelioration of risk arising from potentially carcinogenic chemicals derived both endogenously, and exogenously, from food and the environment. In this study, efforts were made to isolate and identify potentially cancer preventive constituents from methanolic extracts of green onion (Allium cepa) directed by the quinone reductase (QR) induction bioassay using murine hepatoma (Hepa 1c1c7) cells. Crude methanolic extracts of green onion tissue were solvent-partitioned, and subsequently fractionated by flash chromatography, thin layer chromatography and high pressure preparative liquid chromatography to afford pure QR-inducing isolates. Multiple isolates were found active at inducing QR. One newly identified compound, 5-hydroxy-3-methyl-4-propylsulfanyl-5H-furan-2-one (3), and four known compounds: 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural (1), acetovanillone (2), methyl 4-hydroxyl cinnamate (4) and ferulic acid methyl ester (5), were isolated and identified as active agents.

Exogenous thyroid hormone induces liver enlargement, whilst maintaining regenerative potential--a study relevant to donor preconditioning

We have investigated thyroid hormone- (T3) induced liver cell hyperplasia in rats to explore the potential utility of primary mitogens within the clinical context of donor conditioning prior to living-related transplantation. A single injection of T3 induced a semi-synchronized proliferative response in hepatocytes, resulting at 10 days in a peak increase in liver mass, liver/body mass ratio, total DNA and total protein. Importantly, the hyperplastic liver induced by T3 exhibits a commensurate increase in metabolic capacity, as assessed by enhanced galactose elimination capacity. Furthermore, when the liver mass had been increased by an injection of T3 given 10 days previously and 70% partial hepatectomy performed, there was a larger remnant liver mass, liver/body mass ratio, total DNA and total protein content 24 h after surgery, compared with animals given a control injection. Interestingly, the regenerative response to surgery was the same in both groups, indicating that prior T3 conditioning did not impair the regenerative response of the liver. Using more stringent conditions to test hepatic functional reserve, following 90% hepatectomy, there was a greater (57%) survival in animals pre-treated with T3 compared to 14% in controls.

Pyruvate-induced long-term maintenance of glutathione s-transferase in rat hepatocyte cultures

The addition of pyruvate to the culture medium has been reported to improve the maintenance of P450-dependent enzyme expression in primary rat hepatocyte cultures. In this study, the effects of 30mM pyruvate on cell morphology, albumin secretion and glutathione S-transferase (GST) expression were investigated as a function of the time in culture. The effect of triiodothyronine (T3) exposure on GST expression was also measured in pyruvate-treated cultures. Transmission electron microscopy showed that untreated hepatocytes deteriorated after culture for 7 days, whereas the morphology of the pyruvate-treated cells was similar to that observed in intact liver tissue. The albumin secretion rate was significantly higher in rat hepatocytes exposed to pyruvate than in control cells. In the presence of pyruvate, mu and alpha class GST activities were well maintained, whereas GST pi activity was increased over the entire culture period. HPLC analysis revealed that the complement of GST subunits present in hepatocytes is altered during culture with pyruvate: mu,class proteins remained relatively constant, whereas a decrease in the alpha class content was accompanied by a strong increase in GST subunit P1 (GSTP1). The induction of GSTP1 was confirmed at the mRNA level. In control cultures, pi class GST activity was increased, but total, mu, and alpha class GST activities continuously declined as a function of culture time and became undetectable beyond 7 days in culture. At the protein and mRNA levels, a much smaller increase in GSTP1 was observed than in the pyruvate cultures. When the pyruvate-treated cell cultures were exposed to T3, an inhibitory effect on GST activities and proteins was found. These results indicate that this simple culture model could be useful for studying the expression and regulation of GST.