A cellular model to study drug-induced liver injury in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Application to acetaminophen.

Obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can increase susceptibility to hepatotoxicity induced by some xenobiotics including drugs, but the involved mechanisms are poorly understood. For acetaminophen (APAP), a role of hepatic cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is suspected since the activity of this enzyme is consistently enhanced during NAFLD. The first aim of our study was to set up a cellular model of NAFLD characterized not only by triglyceride accumulation but also by higher CYP2E1 activity. To this end, human HepaRG cells were incubated for one week with stearic acid or oleic acid, in the presence of different concentrations of insulin. Although cellular triglycerides and the expression of lipid-responsive genes were similar with both fatty acids, CYP2E1 activity was significantly increased only by stearic acid. CYP2E1 activity was reduced by insulin and this effect was reproduced in cultured primary human hepatocytes. Next, APAP cytotoxicity was assessed in HepaRG cells with or without lipid accretion and CYP2E1 induction. Experiments with a large range of APAP concentrations showed that the loss of ATP and glutathione was almost always greater in the presence of stearic acid. In cells pretreated with the CYP2E1 inhibitor chlormethiazole, recovery of ATP was significantly higher in the presence of stearate with low (2.5mM) or high (20mM) concentrations of APAP. Levels of APAP-glucuronide were significantly enhanced by insulin. Hence, HepaRG cells can be used as a valuable model of NAFLD to unveil important metabolic and hormonal factors which can increase susceptibility to drug-induced hepatotoxicity.

Induction of CYP2E1 in testes of isoniazid-treated rats as possible cause of testicular disorders.

Isoniazid is reported to be the most reliable and cost-effective remedy for tuberculosis treatment and prophylaxis among first line anti-tuberculosis drugs. Conventionally, the most common and best studied adverse effect of isoniazid is hepatotoxicity, but as for testicular toxicity the problem has not yet explored extensively. The aim of the study was to identify in vivo influence of isoniazid on induction of testicular cytochrome Р-450 2Е1 (CYP2E1) mRNA expression and enzymatic activity, testes DNA fragmentation, serum total testosterone level, and spermatogenesis indices. The significant induction of CYP2E1 was demonstrated in rat's testes following isoniazid administration, specifically CYP2E1 mRNA expression and p-nitrophenolhydroxylase activity was increased in 28 and 7 times as compared with control, respectively. These changes were accompanied by activating of testicular GST in 32%, changing in levels and character of DNA fragmentation, as well as damaging of the spermatogenic epithelium, decreasing in serum testosterone content (1.62 fold), sperm count (19%), and losing of fertility in comparison with untreated males. We assume that in testes of isoniazid-treated rats CYP2E1 may act as a trigger in generating of reactive oxygen species and other toxic metabolites which subsequently mediates DNA damage, spermatogenesis disturbances, and altered male fertilizing capacity.