Bone morphogenetic proteins-2/4/7 (BMP-2/4/7) are important cytokines in systemic tissue morphogenesis. It has been demonstrated BMPs may have positive effects on liver repair and regeneration after hepatic injury. However, their function in the liver still remains unclear. D-galactosamine (D-gal) is a hepatotoxin used to induce hepatic failure. We employed D-gal and rat hepatoma cell line (1548) to investigate BMP-2/4/7 expression in hepatic injury induced by D-gal and probe their relations with liver repair and regeneration in hepatic injury. LDH release, mRNA and protein expression were detected. Results indicated that BMP-2/4/7 expression was activated by injury of rat hepatoma cells. It is indicative that repair and regeneration of the liver after hepatic injury and morphogenesis in early embryos seem to proceed through the same process. BMPs may be not only associated with hepatic injury after repair and regeneration, but also involved in chronic liver.

Bone morphogenetic proteins-2/4/7 (BMP-2/4/7) are important cytokines in systemic tissue morphogenesis. It has been demonstrated BMPs may have positive effects on liver repair and regeneration after hepatic injury. However, their function in the liver still remains unclear. D-galactosamine (D-gal) is a hepatotoxin used to induce hepatic failure. We employed D-gal and rat hepatoma cell line (1548) to investigate BMP-2/4/7 expression in hepatic injury induced by D-gal and probe their relations with liver repair and regeneration in hepatic injury. LDH release, mRNA and protein expression were detected. Results indicated that BMP-2/4/7 expression was activated by injury of rat hepatoma cells. It is indicative that repair and regeneration of the liver after hepatic injury and morphogenesis in early embryos seem to proceed through the same process. BMPs may be not only associated with hepatic injury after repair and regeneration, but also involved in chronic liver.

Background and aims: Treatment of acute fulminant liver damage arising as a result of various origins (ischemia-reperfusion injury, toxic shock, an infectious cause or cholestasis) still remains a major clinical problem. We currently do not have available clinically proven, pharmacologically effective and universal compound for the treatment of acute liver injury. The main aim of my research work was, therefore, to test the potential hepatoprotective effect of selected cytoprotective drugs and try to find out or suggest their mechanism of action, which we have examined in the systems for the intracellular gaseous signaling molecules NO and CO, where the key enzymes for their formation are NOS / HO respectively. My PhD study had two main directions: 1) Experimental study of the relationship between HO / CO and NOS / NO systems in the environment of hepatotoxic substances on isolated primary rat hepatocytes and in rat model, 2) Evaluation of ameliorative effect of selected substances in the hepatotoxicity models and to test the relationship of this effect on changes in some parameters of cytotoxicity / cytoprotection, antioxidant parameters, gene expression of mRNA for selected genes and histological changes in the state of cells / tissues / organs. Methods: We measured urea, bilirubin and liver...

Background & Aims: Oxidative stress and apoptosis are proposed mechanisms of cellular injury in studies of xenobiotic hepatotoxicity. The aim of this work is to find early signal markers of drug-induced injury of the liver by focusing on select antioxidant/oxidant and apoptotic genes. As well, to address the relationship between conventional liver dysfunction markers and the measured mRNA and protein expressions in the D-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide and tert-butylhydroperoxide hepatotoxicity models. Furthermore, potential hepatoprotective capabilities of antioxidant polyphenols quercetin and curcumin were evaluated in relation to its modulation of the oxidative stress and apoptotic parameters in the given xenobiotic hepatotoxicity models. Methods: Biochemical markers testing the hepatic function included aminotransferases (ALT, AST) and bilirubin. Measurements of TBARS and conjugated dienes were used to assess lipoperoxidation. Plasma levels of catalase and reduced glutathione were used as indicators of the oxidative status of the cell. Real time PCR was used to analyse the mRNA expressions of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS-2), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), superoxide dismutase (SOD-1), glutathione peroxidase (Gpx-1), caspase 3 (Casp3), BH3 interacting domain death agonist (Bid) and Bcl-2...