The expression of CD14 on Kupffer cells during the course of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury / 中华消化杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the expression of CD14, the receptor of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on Kupffer cell membrane during the course of CCl4-induced liver injury and its role in activation of Kupffer cells. Methods The experimental rats were hypodermically administered CCl4 twice weekly for up to 8 weeks. Kupffer cells were isolated from the liver of normal and CCl4-treated rats by the combined ‘collagenase-pronase’ perfusion method and discontinuous density gradient centrifugation. On the following day after isolation, the cells were incubated with RPMI-1640 containing various doses of LPS for 6 h. The tumor necrosis factor (TNF-?) in the supernatants was measured by ELISA. The expression of CD14 mRNA on Kupffer cells was determined by RT-PCR. The plasma levels of endotoxin were determined by chromogenic substrate limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Results Baseline TNF-? production of Kupffer cells isolated from CCl4-treated rats in 4 and 6 weeks was significantly higher than that of controls (P