Animalexperiment on regulating effect of stored red blood cells transfusion on BMDMs in inflammatory conditions / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To discuss the regulating effect of stored red blood cells (RBCs) transfusion on BMDMs in inflammatory conditions, and the relationship between stored RBCs transfusion and inflammatory response induced by bacterial infection. 【Methods】 Forty C57BL/6 male mice of 6-8 weeks (18-22 g/mouse) were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. Each mouse was infected with 200 µL Pseudomonas aeruginosa injecting into the tail vein, and 400 µL fresh (storage >14 d) and stored RBCs (storage 0.05). F4/80 of experimental group and control group 2, 4 and 8 hours after RBCs infused were 1.83±0.11 vs 0.75±0.06, 0.46±0.06 vs 0.33±0.06 (P0.05), respectively. iNOS, TNF-α, MCP1 of M1 in liver of experimental group and control group 2, 4 and 8 hours after RBCs infused were respectively: iNOS 3.44±0.20 vs 2.46±0.08, 9.25±0.55 vs 2.67±0.12, 2.80±0.08 vs 2.39 ±0.01; TNF-α 1.69±0.22 vs 1.13±0.03, 1.44±0.24 vs 0.96±0.09, 1.31±0.05 vs 0.96±0.06; MCP1 4.96±0.08 vs 4.28±0.27, 4.63±0.04 vs 2.07±0.09, 2.28±0.19 vs 1.33±0.03 (P0.05). 【Conclusion】 Stored RBCs infusion can greatly promote the M1 polarization of BMDMs in liver.

Liver abscess: A case study

Liver abscess is a suppurative lesion in the liver formed as a result of invasion and multiplication of microorganisms which gain access by entering directly from an injury through the blood vessels or by the biliary ductal system/ septicemia, direct infection latrogenic & cryptogenic. It can be diagnosed by comparing the lab values with the diseased condition such as hemoglobin (10.9g/dl), neutrophils (83), ESR (120mm), Serum albumin (3.4g/dl), ALP (245U/L), Gamma GT (347U/L), prothrombin time (25.2 seconds), APTT (37.9 seconds). By performing the above tests, we have confirmed that the patient was suffering from liver abscess.

Effect of Five Huoxue Huayu Prescriptions on Blood Lipid Metabolism， Liver Tissue and ABCA1 and PPARγ Expression in New Zealand Rabbits with Blood Stasis Syndrome / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of five Huoxue Huayu prescriptions on blood lipid metabolism， liver tissue and adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporter A1 （ABCA1） and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ（PPARγ） expression in New Zealand rabbits with blood stasis syndrome， and to compare their differences in order to provide laboratory evidence for clinical selection of prescriptions and drugs. MethodSeventy New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into normal group （n=10） and model group （n=60）. The blood stasis syndrome was modeled by the method of starvation+high-fat feed+adrenaline. After the models were successfully established， they were randomly divided into Xuefu Zhuyutang（3.55 g·kg-1·d-1） group， Danshenyin（1.962 g·kg-1·d-1） group， Shixiaosan（0.56 g·kg-1·d-1） group， Huoluo Xiaolingdan（2.80 g·kg-1·d-1） group， and Taohong Siwutang（2.66 g·kg-1·d-1） group， and were given corresponding compound prescriptions by gavage. The normal group and model group were given the same dose of distilled water. After the treatment of 30 consecutive days， blood was taken from the abdominal aorta to detect the content of total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol（LDL-C） and apolipoprotein A1 （ApoA1）. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining was used to observe the changes in liver tissue. Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of ABCA1 and PPARγ in liver tissue， respectively. ResultCompared with the conditions in the normal group， increased mRNA and protein levels of HDL-C， LDL-C， TG， TC， and PPARγ （P<0.01）， decreased ApoA1 level （P<0.05） and decreased mRNA and protein levels of ABCA1 （P<0.01） were found in the model group. Compared with the conditions in the model group， the HDL-C level in the five Huoxue Huayu prescriptions was lowered （P<0.05）， and lowered TG level in Xuefu Zhuyutang group and Shixiaosan group （P<0.05）， decreased LDL-C and TC levels in Shixiaosan group （P<0.05）， and increased ApoA1 level in the Huoluo Xiaolingdan group （P<0.01） and Taohong Siwutang group （P<0.05） were observed. Furthermore， the mRNA and protein levels of ABCA1 in Xuefu Zhuyutang group， Shixiaosan group， Huoluo Xiaolingdan group and Taohong Siwutang group were elevated （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the elevated levels were higher than that of Danshenyin group （P<0.05）. The mRNA level of PPARγ in the five Huoxue Huayu prescriptions was reduced （P<0.01）， and its protein level was also decreased in Xuefu Zhuyutang group， Shixiaosan group， Huoluo Xiaolingdan group and Taohong Siwutang group （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe five Huoxue Huayu prescriptions had a certain therapeutic effect on dyslipidemia，which might be achieved by up-regulating the expression of ApoA1 and ABCA1 to promote the production of HDL-C and strengthen the excretion of dysfunctional HDL-C. And Xuefu Zhuyutang had the optimal effect in lowering lipid.

Effect of Geniposide on Liver Injury and Bile Acid Profile in Serum, Liver and Excrement of Rats / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the hepatotoxicity of different doses of geniposide on the liver of rats and the effects on bile acid profile in serum， liver tissue and feces. Method:The 60 Sprague Dawley rats， half male and half female， were randomly divided into 5 groups according to body weight： blank group and four different doses （50， 100， 200， 400 mg·kg^-1） geniposide groups， 12 rats in each group. The rats were treated by gavage once a day for 7 consecutive days， and the serum， liver and cecal contents were collected on the 8^th day of treatment. The activities of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST） and alkaline phosphatase （ALP）， the contents of albumin （ALB）， total bilirubin （TBIL）， total bile acid （TBA）， creatinine （Crea） and carbamide （Urea） were detected in each group. The sections of liver tissue were stained with hematoxylin-eosin（HE）， and the protein expressions of cytokeratin 7（CK7） and cytokeratin 19（CK19） were detected by immunohistochemistry. The protein expressions of CK7 and CK19 in the liver tissue were detected by Western blot. And the mRNA expressions of cholesterol 7<italic>α</italic>-hydroxylase （CYP7A1）， cholesterol 27<italic>α</italic>-hydroxylase （ CYP27A1） and cholesterol 12<italic>α</italic>-hydroxylase （CYP8B1） were detected by real-time PCR. The contents of 18 kinds of bile acids in serum， liver and cecal contents were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry（UPLC-MS）. Result:Compared with the control group， TBIL level in each dose of geniposide group was increasesd significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.01）. ALT， AST activity and TBA content in 400 mg·kg^-1 geniposide group were increased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. HE staining showed that， compared with control group， there was bile duct reaction in the portal area and inflammatory cells infiltrate around bile duct in 200 mg·kg^-1 and 400 mg·kg^-1 geniposide groups， especially 400 mg·kg^-1. The expressions of CK7 and CK19 in liver tissue of 400 mg·kg^-1 geniposide group were significantly higher than those in the control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with the control group， the contents of glycoursodeoxycholic acid （GUDCA） and glycohyodeoxycholic acid （GHDCA） in liver tissue of 400 mg·kg^-1 geniposide group decreased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， the contents of sodium taurochenodeoxycholate （TCDCA）， hyodeoxycholic acid （HDCA）， cholic acid （CA） and chenodeoxycholic acid （CDCA） in liver tissue increased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， the contents of glycocholic acid hydrate （GCA）， glycochenodeoxycholic acid （GCDCA）， glycodeoxycholic acid hydrate （GDCA）， glycocholic acid （GLCA）， tauroursodeoxycholic acid （TUDCA）， GUDCA， GHDCA， ursodeoxycholic （UDCA） and taurolithocholic acid （TLCA） decreased， the proportions of TCDCA， HDCA， CA， CDCA and deoxycholic acid （DCA） in liver tissue increased， the contents of GHDCA and lithocholic acid （LCA） in serum decreased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.01）， while sodium taurohyodeoxycholate hydrate （THDCA）， taurocholic acid （TCA）， GCA， TCDCA， UDCA， CA， CDCA， DCA in serum decreased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. The contents of CA， UDCA， CA， CDCA and DCA increased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， the ratio of CA/DCA increased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.05）， and the ratio of CA and CDCA increased by 19.60% and 4.63%， respectively； Compared with the control group， the contents of all bile acids in cecal contents of 400 mg·kg^-1 were decreased， and the contents of GCA， UDCA， HDCA， GCDCA， GDCA， TLCA， GLCA， CDCA， DCA and LCA were decreased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. In addition， real-time PCR results showed that the mRNA expressions of CYP7A1， CYP27A1 in the 400 mg·kg^-1 geniposide group were significantly higher than those in the control group （<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. Conclusion:The 400 mg·kg^-1geniposide can cause obvious hepatotoxicity in rats， and the bile acid profile in liver， serum and excrement changes significantly， and the changes of the each bile acid in liver， serum and feces are different. However， the causal relationship between the gardenoside-induced liver injury and the changes in bile acid profile are<italic> </italic>not clear. It needs to be further studied.

Effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides on blood indexes andliver tissue morphology in rats with intrahepatic cholestasis / 预防医学

Objective@#To study the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides ( LBP ) on blood indexes and liver tissue morphology in rats with intrahepatic cholestasis.@*Methods@#Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, and LBP low, medium and high dose group. The rats in the model group and LBP dose groups were given 60 mg/kg alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate ( ANIT ) by gavage every three days of the experiment, and the rats in the control group were given salad oil instead of ANIT. From the third day, the rats in each dose group were given 40, 150 and 600 mg/kg LBP, and the rats in the model group were given distilled water. After four weeks, the blood and urine indexes were measured, and the morphological changes of liver tissue were observed. @*Results@#From the third day of the experiment, the activity of rats in the model group and LBP dose groups decreased, and the color of urine changed to dark yellow. There was no abnormality in the group. In the model group, the levels of serum total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, total bile acid ( TBA ), alkaline phosphatase ( ALP ), γ-glutamyltransferase(γ-GGT), cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase ( ALT ), aspartate aminotransferase ( AST ), white blood cell ( WBC ), percentage of granulocyte, urinary bilirubin, urinary bile acid, liver mass and liver to body ratio were higher than those in the control group, while red blood cell and percentage of lymphocyte were lower than those in the control group ( all P<0.05 ). Pathological changes of liver tissue were observed. The levels of serum TBA, ALP, γ-GGT, ALT, AST, WBC and liver to body ratio in LBP high dose group were lower than those in the model group ( all P<0.05 ). The infiltration of inflammatory cells, proliferation and expansion of bile duct, degeneration and necrosis of liver cells were alleviated. @*Conclusions@#LBP can improve the blood indexes and pathological changes of liver tissue in rats with intrahepatic cholestasis at the dosage of 600 mg/kg. Inhibition of inflammatory response and reduction of oxidative stress injury may be the mechanism for alleviating cholestatic liver injury.

Liver Tissue-specific Genes IGFALS,CYP3A4,SLC22A1 and CYP2E1 May be Associated with Poor Prognosis of Liver Cancer / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To explore the function and mechanism of related genes in the occurrence and development of liver cancer, and the possibility of key genes as potential biomarkers and prognostic indicators for the treatment of liver cancer.Methods We selected 4 datasets(GSE57957, GSE121248, GSE36376 and GSE14520)from the GEO database.With

The competitive situation of liver tissue engineering based on patent analysis / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: China is a country with high incidence of liver disease. Liver tissue engineering, which is still in the stage of exploration, has brought a new hope for treatment. OBJECTIVE: To provide advices and references for the development and innovation of liver tissue engineering based on patent analysis. METHODS: The number and development tendency, as well as the technology birthplace, target market, applicants, inventors and technical fields of patents in the field of liver tissue engineering in nearly 20 years were analyzed in this study. The keywords for full-text search included tissue engineering, tissue regenerate/repair, and hepatic/liver. The retrieval deadline was December 28, 2018. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There is a rapid development in the field of the global liver tissue engineering. The compound growth rate in the past 10 years is 8.64%, of which invention patents account for 84.93%. China is the main technology birthplace; however, the number of tripartite patents of China is far less than that of the United States and Japan. China and the United States are the two most high-profile target markets in the field of liver tissue engineering, but the applicants are mostly from native instead of international. Meanwhile, there are 8 Chinese application institutions and 14 Chinese inventors ranking among the top 20 in the world in this field. In conclusion, liver tissue engineering has developed rapidly in China, but the lack of core technology is still an important issue. Therefore, we must improve our innovation capabilities and explore core technologies continuously to enhance our international competitiveness.

Liver metabonomics analysis of olanzapine-induced weight gaining in rats / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective: To observe the changes in metabolites and metabolic pathways in SD rats after olanzapine treatment. Methods : Twenty female SD rats were randomly assigned to two groups, control group and olanzapine treatment group, respectively. During the treatment period, body weight and food intake of two groups were monitored. At the end of treatment, the liver tissues were collected and LC/MS technique was applied to detect metabolites in liver tissue. Subsequently, the raw data were converted for further analysis on the MetaboAnalysis platform. Results : Short-term olanzapine administration resulted in significant increases in body mass, food intake, and impaired glucose tolerance. Metabonomics results indicated rats from olanzapine treatment group had a significantly higher level of primary bile acid and 9-OxoODE (9-oxo-octadecadienoic acid) in liver tissue than those from control group. Conclusion:Primary bile acid biosynthesis process is significantly enhanced after short-time olanzapine treatment.

Expression profiles of the exosomal miRNAs in the chronic hepatitis B patients with persistently normal ALT / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Objective:To investigate expression profiles of the plasma exosomal miRNAs of the chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with persistently normal alamine aminotransferase (PNALT) for the first time and try to find exosomal miRNAs which could reflect liver inflammation better.Methods:Five CHB patients with liver tissue inflammation grade ≥A2 of PNALT and 5 CHB patients with liver tissue inflammation grade ＜A2 of PNALT were enrolled and their blood samples were collected.The exosomes were extracted from these blood samples and measured by electron microscope to determine the extraction effect.The exosomal miRNAs were extracted and sent for high throughput sequencing,and the expression of exosomal miRNAs in the 2 groups of patients was analyzed.Results:Under the electron microscope,exosomes were small membranous vesicles with 30-100 nm in diameter.The peak value of particle size ranged from 10 to 100 nm.High throughput sequencing showed that there were 591 differentially expressed exosomal miRNAs between the 2 groups.Compared with the control group,18 exosomal miRNAs were up-regulated and 6 exosomal miRNAs were down-regulated in PNALT patients with the liver tissue inflammation grade ≥ A2.Conclusion:Exosomal miRNAs in the CHB patients with PNALT who have the different grades of liver inflammation are differently expressed.Some of the differently expressed exosomal miRNAs are expected to be sensitive biomarkers for timely assessment of liver inflammation in the CHB patients with PNALT.

Distribution of Fat Droplets in Liver Tissue of Rats Fed a Diet with Different Fatty Acid Compositions / 日本補完代替医療学会誌

Objectives: We examined the effect of oil intake differing in fatty acid composition on fat accumulation amount, concentration of serum and fat droplets adipocytes of liver tissue in rats. Methods: Young male rats were fed a high cholesterol diet containing either lard, soybean oil, perilla oil or fish oil for 4wk. The control diet contained a lard component. Results: Posterior abdominal wall fat and testicle peripheral fat weights were significantly lower in the fish oil group compared with the control and the soybean oil group. The number of fat droplets was significantly higher in the liver tissue of rats in the perilla oil group compared with the other groups, and many fat droplets with small diameters were observed. The proportion of fat droplets to the total area was significantly lower in the perilla oil group and the fish oil group compared with the control and the soybean oil group. Conclusion: The results suggested that oil intake differing in fatty acid composition correlates with fat accumulation amount and lipid droplet area in the liver tissue. Fish oil intake correlated with reduced visceral fat accumulation and is expected to be useful in the prevention and improvement of obesity.

Experimental Study on Estimating the Postmortem Interval in Rabbits Hemorrhagic Shock Death Model Using Liver Computed Tomography Images / 中国医科大学学报

Objective To investigate the relationship between changes in the liver computed tomography (CT) images and the postmortem interval (PMI) of rabbits 129 h after their death due to hemorrhagic shock. Methods CT scanning was used to investigate the hemorrhagic shock death model in 23 rabbits to identify the postmortem cerebral changes from 0 h to 129 h after death. Results The liver or lumbar area in the liver window showed the following characteristic changes: from unchanged, to rapid shrinkage, to slow shrinkage; the mean CT values of the liver initially increased and subsequently decreased. The regression equations for the relationship between the two indices and PMI were established by surgery, and they all had statistical significance (P ＜ 0. 01). Conclusion CT scanning can accurately show changes in the rabbit liver after death. The mean CT value of the liver tissue is more sensitive for inferring early PMI. Furthermore, the liver area/lumbar area ratio parameters are more sensitive for inferring mid-late PMI.

The clinical diagnosis value and significance of serum sH2a level on early hepatic fibrosis degree / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#We aimed, in our prospective study, to assess the predictive value of serum non-invasive and biochemical markers for clinical diagnosis of significant fibrosis (including early stages).@*Methods@#We measured sH2a levels in serum, comparing with routine liver function markers. We compared blindly pretreatment serum samples from a cohort of hepatitis B patients without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD), which had histological grades of liver fibrosis, with NAFLD individuals and CHB with NAFLD patients. Statistical analysis was by Student′s t test, and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn.@*Results@#ROC curves showed that serum sH2a had greater diagnostic performance than routine liver function markers compared with histological grades of liver fibrosis(S0, S1-2, S3-4). ROC curves showed that using a sH2a cut-off point of 0.79 was with highest sensitivity as 63% and highest specificity as 80%. And sensitivity as 96.7% and specificity as 75.5% when using a sH2a cut-off point of 0.77.@*Conclusions@#sH2a has the potential to be a uniquely sensitive and specific novel marker for liver fibrosis and function.

Preparation of specimen about mouse liver tissue for scanning electron microscope and its improvement method / 中国医学装备

Objective:To explore and optimize the preparation method of specimen about mouse liver tissue for scanning electron microscopy.Methods: The specimens of mouse liver using for scanning electron microscope were prepared through improving the fixed location of perfusion, optimizing material and procedure of perfusion, adopting fixation of perfusion via portal vein and changing the process of fixation and so on. And the results of morphological observation of histocyte were compared between the improved method and traditional method.Results: The improved preparation method could save the liver tissue and the living state of the cells in preferably situation. By using this method, the ultra-micro morphological structure of liver tissue and cell could be clearly observed and the ideal effect of observation could be achieved. Besides, its operation was simple and its success rate was high. Therefore, it was superior to traditional method.Conclusion: The preparation of specimen about the fixation of mouse liver tissue via perfusion of portal vein for scanning electron microscope is a superior method, which has certain applied value.

Comparative study on the effects of different concentrations of Iopromide Injection on liver tissue imaging and adverse reactions / 中国生化药物杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of different concentrations of iopromide injection on liver tissue imaging and adverse reactions. Methods Selected 150 patients of liver without substantial disease patients, were randomly divided into A group (n=50) and B group (n=50) and C group (n=50), after the abdominal plain, Iopromide Injection injection enhanced scan of the abdominal aorta, portal vein, 5 hepatic tissue, strengthen the evaluation value and the adverse reactions were observed, compared with different concentrations of Iopromide Injection imaging effect and adverse reaction of liver tissue. Results A group was injected with 370 mg/mL Iopromide Injection after abdominal aorta was 249.21, the enhancement of portal vein was 132, B group were injected with 350 mg/mL value of 229.32 Iopromide Injection portal vein enhancement, portal vein enhancement value was 121.32, C group were injected with 300 mg/mL Iopromide Injection hepatic enhancement value was 239.21, the enhancement of portal vein was 98.32, the A group and B group, there was significant difference with C group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in adverse reactions between the three groups when injected with different concentrations of iopromide injection. Conclusion The results show that the imaging effect is better with the increase of concentration, and there is no significant difference between the patients with high concentration contrast agent and low concentration contrast agent.

Comparative study on the effects of different concentrations of Iopromide Injection on liver tissue imaging and adverse reactions / 中国生化药物杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of different concentrations of iopromide injection on liver tissue imaging and adverse reactions. Methods Selected 150 patients of liver without substantial disease patients, were randomly divided into A group (n=50) and B group (n=50) and C group (n=50), after the abdominal plain, Iopromide Injection injection enhanced scan of the abdominal aorta, portal vein, 5 hepatic tissue, strengthen the evaluation value and the adverse reactions were observed, compared with different concentrations of Iopromide Injection imaging effect and adverse reaction of liver tissue. Results A group was injected with 370 mg/mL Iopromide Injection after abdominal aorta was 249.21, the enhancement of portal vein was 132, B group were injected with 350 mg/mL value of 229.32 Iopromide Injection portal vein enhancement, portal vein enhancement value was 121.32, C group were injected with 300 mg/mL Iopromide Injection hepatic enhancement value was 239.21, the enhancement of portal vein was 98.32, the A group and B group, there was significant difference with C group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in adverse reactions between the three groups when injected with different concentrations of iopromide injection. Conclusion The results show that the imaging effect is better with the increase of concentration, and there is no significant difference between the patients with high concentration contrast agent and low concentration contrast agent.

Efficacy of Silybinin meglumine on hepatic fibrosis rats and possible mechanisms / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of Silybinin meglumine on hepatic fibrosis rats and possible mecha -nisms.Methods:The liver fibrosis rats were randomly divided into 4 groups,the model group,Silybinin meglumine 120 mg/kg group, Silybinin meglumine dose group 60 mg/kg and Silybinin meglumine low dose group 30 mg/kg,and the control group.All groups had been treated for 4 groups.Results:No deaths rat.Compared with the control group ,the reduced body weight ,less dynamic,dark hair, decreased liver and spleen indexes ,increased ALT,AST,TBIL,TG,TC and LDLC,and the decreased ALB, and the increased LXRαand SREBP1c had been observed in the model group (P<0.05).Compared with the model group ,better activity and body weight ,the in-creased liver and spleen indexs decreased ALT ,AST,TBIL,TG,TC and LDLC,and the increased ALB , and the decreased LXRαand SREBP1c had been observed in the Silybinin meglumine groups (P<0.05),in a way of dose-depended.Conclusion: The Silibinin meglumine can treat liver fibrosis ,by improving liver function,lowing lipid and decreaseing LXRαand SREBP1c expression in liver tis-sue.But the mechanism of two proteins reduced remains for further investigation .

The effects of vinyl chloride monomer on the expression of mir-122 in the liver tissue and serum of male rat / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of vinyl chloride monomer( VCM) on the expression of mir-122 in the liver tissue and serum of rat. METHODS: Specific pathogen free adult male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups with 24 rats in each group: the control group,the low-,medium- and high-dose groups. The 4 groups were intraperitoneally injected with VCM exposure levels at 0,5,25 and 125 mg / kg body weight 3 times per week,respectively. Eight rats per group were randomly selected and sacrificed after 6,8 and 12 weeks. Small RNA( < 200 nt) in the liver tissue and total RNA in the serum were isolated and purified. Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymease chain reaction technique was used to detect their expressions of mir-122. RESULTS: Compared with the control group and the low-dose group at the same time points,the relative expressions of mir-122 in the liver tissue of rats in the medium- and high-dose groups were significantly increased after exposed to VCM for 6 weeks( P < 0. 05),and then were significantly decreased after exposed to VCM for 12 weeks( P < 0. 05). The relative expressions of mir-122 in the liver tissue of rats in the medium- and highdose groups were decreased with VCM exposure time( P < 0. 05). Compared with the control group at the same time points,the relative expressions of mir-122 in serum of rats in the three dose groups were significantly increased after being exposed to VCM for 8 weeks( P < 0. 05),and then were significantly decreased after being exposed to VCM for 12 weeks(P < 0. 05). Among the three dose groups,the relative expressions of mir-122 in serum of rats after 12-week exposure were lower than those after 6-week and 8-week exposure in the same group respectively( P < 0. 05). CONCLUSION:s The VCM exposure significantly changes the expression of mir-122 in the liver tissue and serum of rat,which suggested that mir-122 may be one of the effect biomarkers for VCM exposure.

Quantitative determination of seven major absorbed volatile constituents in mice brain, liver and blood after intragastric administration of Asari Radix et Rhizoma suspension by headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry / 中国中药杂志

A headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method（HS-SPME-GC-MS） was adopted for the quantitative study of 4-allylanisole, methyl eugenol, 2,3,5-trimethoxytoluene, 3,4,5-trimethoxytoluene, sarisan, 3,5-dimethoxytoluene and safrole in mice brain, liver tissues and blood after intragastric administration of Asari Radix et Rhizoma. A VF-WAXms (30 m×0.25 mm, 0.25 μm film thickness) capillary column and SPME fiber coated with 65 μm polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) were used. The calibration curves of seven volatile constituents were established to validate the method's stability (RSD<15%), repeatability (RSD<9.5%), accuracy (RSD<22%), relative recovery (87.0%-108%) and extraction recovery (74.9%-102%). The validated HS-SPME-GC-MS assay was applied to determine the concentrations of seven constituents in liver, brain and blood. The detected contents were 0.22,0.14 μg•g⁻¹,0.25 mg•L⁻¹ (4-allylanisole), 1.1, 0.39 μg•g⁻¹, 0.69 mg•L⁻¹ (methyl eugenol), 0.45, 0.13 μg•g⁻¹, 0.54 mg•L⁻¹ (2,3,5-trimethoxytoluene), 0.51, 0.15 μg•g⁻¹, 0.45 mg•L⁻¹ (3,4,5-trimethoxytoluene), 0.48, 0.039 μg•g⁻¹, 0.69 mg•L ⁻¹ (sarisan), 2.2, 1.2 μg•g⁻¹, 1.5 mg•L⁻¹ (3,5-dimethoxytoluene) and 1.3, 0.67 μg•g⁻¹, 1.1 mg•L⁻¹ (safrole) respectively. This HS-SPME-GC-MS method is rapid and convenient, with a small sample size, and applicable for the analysis and determination of volatile constituents in traditional Chinese medicines, which provides scientific data for further studies on effective substances and toxic substances in Asari Radix et Rhizoma.

Hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and α-mRNA expression in HCV-infected adults is decreased by HIV co-infection and is also affected by ethnicity

OBJECTIVE: To determine peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α and γ mRNA expression in liver tissue of hepatitis C virus-infected patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus and its possible contribution to an acceleration of liver disease progression. METHODS: We measured peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and γ mRNA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction in liver tissues from 40 subjects infected only with hepatitis C virus, 36 subjects co-infected with hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus and 11 normal adults. RESULTS: Hepatic mRNA expression of both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors was significantly lower in hepatitis C virus-infected subjects with and without human immunodeficiency virus co-infection compared to the controls. Non-black race was also identified as a predictor of lower peroxisome receptor α and γ mRNA expression. Compared to subjects infected only with hepatitis C virus, liver peroxisome receptor γ mRNA expression was significantly lower in hepatitis C virus/human immunodeficiency virus-co-infected subjects (0.0092 in hepatitis C virus/human immunodeficiency virus-co-infection vs. 0.0120 in hepatitis C virus-only; p=0.004). Hepatic peroxisome receptor α mRNA expression in the hepatitis C virus-infected patients was lower in the presence of human immunodeficiency virus co-infection in non-black subjects (0.0769 vs. 0.1061; p=0.02), whereas the levels did not vary based on human immunodeficiency virus status among black subjects. CONCLUSION: mRNA expression of both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors is impaired in hepatitis C virus-infected liver and further reduced by human immunodeficiency virus co-infection, although the suppressive effects of the viruses are substantially mitigated in black patients.

Cell Sources, Liver Support Systems and Liver Tissue Engineering: Alternatives to Liver Transplantation

The liver is the largest organ in the body; it has a complex architecture, wide range of functions and unique regenerative capacity. The growing incidence of liver diseases worldwide requires increased numbers of liver transplant and leads to an ongoing shortage of donor livers. To meet the huge demand, various alternative approaches are being investigated including, hepatic cell transplantation, artificial devices and bioprinting of the organ itself. Adult hepatocytes are the preferred cell sources, but they have limited availability, are difficult to isolate, propagate poor and undergo rapid functional deterioration in vitro. There have been efforts to overcome these drawbacks; by improving culture condition for hepatocytes, providing adequate extracellular matrix, co-culturing with extra-parenchymal cells and identifying other cell sources. Differentiation of human stem cells to hepatocytes has become a major interest in the field of stem cell research and has progressed greatly. At the same time, use of decellularized organ matrices and 3 D printing are emerging cutting-edge technologies for tissue engineering, opening up new paths for liver regenerative medicine. This review provides a compact summary of the issues, and the locations of liver support systems and tissue engineering, with an emphasis on reproducible and useful sources of hepatocytes including various candidates formed by differentiation from stem cells.