AIM: To investigate the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA)-induced liver injury in hamsters, and to elucidate a correlation between liver injury and bile acid profiles in the liver....AIM: To investigate the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA)-induced liver injury in hamsters, and to elucidate a correlation between liver injury and bile acid profiles in the liver. METHODS: Liver injury was induced in hamsters by administration of 0.5% (w/w) CDCA in their feed for 7 d. UDCA (50 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg) was administered for the last 3 d of the experiment. RESULTS: At the end of the experiment, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increased more than 10 times and the presence of liver injury was confirmed histologically. Marked increase in bile acids was observed in the liver. The amount of total bile acids increased approximately three-fold and was accompanied by the increase in hydrophobic bile acids, CDCA and lithocholic acid (LCA). UDCA (50 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg) improved liver histology, with a significant decrease (679.3 ± 77.5 U/L vs 333.6 ± 50.4 U/L and 254.3 ± 35.5 U/ L, respectively, P < 0.01) in serum ALT level. UDCA decreased the concentrations of the hydrophobic bile acids, and as a result, a decrease in the total bile acid level in the liver was achieved. CONCLUSION: The results show that UDCA improves oral CDCA-induced liver damage in hamsters. The protective effects of UDCA appear to result from a decrease in the concentration of hydrophobic bile acids, CDCA and LCA, which accumulate and show the cytotoxicity in the liver.展开更多
Therapeutic administration of fingolimod hydrochloride (FTY720), the functional antagonist at sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor 1 (S1P1) shows a marked improving effect on experimental autoimmune encephalomyeliti...Therapeutic administration of fingolimod hydrochloride (FTY720), the functional antagonist at sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor 1 (S1P1) shows a marked improving effect on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) in C57BL/6 mice. However, this treatment showed an only partial inhibition of Th1/Th17 cell infiltration into the central nervous system (CNS), suggesting that down-regulation of lymphocytic S1P1 is insufficient to explain the therapeutic effect of FTY720 on EAE. On the other hand, the therapeutic administration of FTY720 reduced the mRNA expressions of IL-6, CCL2, and glial fibrillary acidic protein, an activation marker of astrocytes, in the CNS of EAE mice. In human astrocytic glyoma, U373MG cells, mRNA expression of S1P1 was higher as compared with those of the other S1P receptor subtypes and phosphorylation of Akt was induced by S1P, FTY720-phosphate (FTY720-P), or an S1P1-selective agonist, SEW2871. FTY720-P appeared to induce down-regulation of S1P1 in U373MG cells, implying a functional antagonism at S1P1 on astrocytes. S1P but not FTY720-P induced production of IL-6, IL-8, and CCL2 significantly and treatment with FTY720-P or SEW2871 inhibited production of these pro-inflammatory cytokines from U373MG cells stimulated with S1P. These results suggest that S1P-S1P1 axis induces production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by astrocytes. Consequently, it is highly probable that the therapeutic effects of FTY720 on EAE are caused by inhibiting not only egress of myelin-specific Th cells from the draining lymph nodes but also activation of astrocytes in the CNS.展开更多
文摘AIM: To investigate the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA)-induced liver injury in hamsters, and to elucidate a correlation between liver injury and bile acid profiles in the liver. METHODS: Liver injury was induced in hamsters by administration of 0.5% (w/w) CDCA in their feed for 7 d. UDCA (50 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg) was administered for the last 3 d of the experiment. RESULTS: At the end of the experiment, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increased more than 10 times and the presence of liver injury was confirmed histologically. Marked increase in bile acids was observed in the liver. The amount of total bile acids increased approximately three-fold and was accompanied by the increase in hydrophobic bile acids, CDCA and lithocholic acid (LCA). UDCA (50 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg) improved liver histology, with a significant decrease (679.3 ± 77.5 U/L vs 333.6 ± 50.4 U/L and 254.3 ± 35.5 U/ L, respectively, P < 0.01) in serum ALT level. UDCA decreased the concentrations of the hydrophobic bile acids, and as a result, a decrease in the total bile acid level in the liver was achieved. CONCLUSION: The results show that UDCA improves oral CDCA-induced liver damage in hamsters. The protective effects of UDCA appear to result from a decrease in the concentration of hydrophobic bile acids, CDCA and LCA, which accumulate and show the cytotoxicity in the liver.
文摘Therapeutic administration of fingolimod hydrochloride (FTY720), the functional antagonist at sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor 1 (S1P1) shows a marked improving effect on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) in C57BL/6 mice. However, this treatment showed an only partial inhibition of Th1/Th17 cell infiltration into the central nervous system (CNS), suggesting that down-regulation of lymphocytic S1P1 is insufficient to explain the therapeutic effect of FTY720 on EAE. On the other hand, the therapeutic administration of FTY720 reduced the mRNA expressions of IL-6, CCL2, and glial fibrillary acidic protein, an activation marker of astrocytes, in the CNS of EAE mice. In human astrocytic glyoma, U373MG cells, mRNA expression of S1P1 was higher as compared with those of the other S1P receptor subtypes and phosphorylation of Akt was induced by S1P, FTY720-phosphate (FTY720-P), or an S1P1-selective agonist, SEW2871. FTY720-P appeared to induce down-regulation of S1P1 in U373MG cells, implying a functional antagonism at S1P1 on astrocytes. S1P but not FTY720-P induced production of IL-6, IL-8, and CCL2 significantly and treatment with FTY720-P or SEW2871 inhibited production of these pro-inflammatory cytokines from U373MG cells stimulated with S1P. These results suggest that S1P-S1P1 axis induces production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by astrocytes. Consequently, it is highly probable that the therapeutic effects of FTY720 on EAE are caused by inhibiting not only egress of myelin-specific Th cells from the draining lymph nodes but also activation of astrocytes in the CNS.
