Human sTNFR1 (soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1) gene was amplified by RT-PCR from Hela cells. A recombinant expression vector of sTNFR1-MBP was constructed in pMAL-c2x, and transformed into E. Coli JM109.It was sequenced and confirmed to be identifical to the sTNFR1 gene in data bank. Recombinant protein sTNFR1-MBP was induced by IPTG and purified by Amylose resin Affinity Chromatography. sTNFR1-MBP was binded to sTNFR1's antibody in Western-blotting. From MTT assays, the results showed that sTNFR1-MBP could effectively block the cytotoxicity mediated by TNF?on QSG7701 cells. Annexin V-FITC staining and flowcytometry were used to observe the recombinant protein's anti-apoptosis capacity and the recombinant protein has marked anti-apoptosis effect in vitro.sTNFR1-MBP had good biological activity and it will be employed in further study.

Aging ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, on the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and its mechanism. METHODS: Primary HSCs isolated from SD rats were cultured and treated with different concentrations (1, 3 or 10micromol/L) of ADMA for various periods (12 approximately 48h). Expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and synthesis of type-I collagens in HSC were determined. Messenger RNA levels of the transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta(1)) in the HSCs were determined using RT-PCR. Intracellular reactive oxidant species (ROS) production was measured using oxidant-sensitive fluorescent indicator. Activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) was detected by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). RESULTS: ADMA could increase alpha-SMA-positive cells ratio and Type I collagens production of HSCs in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, concomitant with the increase of the TGF-beta(1) mRNA level. Treatment with ADMA (10micromol/L) significantly increased the intracellular ROS production and activated NF-kappaB. Such effects of ADMA on the level of TGF-beta(1) mRNA could be markedly attenuated by pretreatment with antioxidant pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (25micromol/L). CONCLUSION ADMA can induce the HSC activation by increasing TGF-beta(1) expression through ROS-NF-kappaB-dependent pathway. Therefore, ADMA should be a novel and endogenous activator of HSC, which may be involved in the development of liver fibrosis.
Actins ; biosynthesis ; Animals ; Arginine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagen Type I ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo explore the pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia in viral hepatitis.

METHODS84 viral hepatitis patients and 20 healthy controls were divided into three groups: Group A: 48 viral hepatitis patients with thrombocytopenia; Group B: 36 viral hepatitis patients with normal platelet count; and Group C: 20 healthy controls. Serum thrombopoietin (TPO) levels were measured in all subjects by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The levels of PAIg, PAIgG, PAIgA, PAIgM were detected in all subjects by flow cytometry. Spleen size was assessed in all subjects by abdominal color ultrasound B Scan. Bone marrow cells were examined in 74 subjects with bone marrow punctures.

RESULTSSerum thrombopoietin level was lower in group A than in group C and in group B. Serum TPO levels were correlated with platelet counts in the patients with advanced liver diseases. PAIg, PAIgG levels were significantly higher in group A than in group B and in group C. An inverse correlation was found between platelet counts and PAIg levels. An inverse correlation was also observed between platelet counts and PAIgG levels. The incidence of splenomegaly was significantly higher in group A (77.1%) than in group B (47.2%), while group C had no splenomegaly. An inverse correlation between spleen size and platelet count was observed (r = -0.581). There were 4 patients in group A with hypoplasia of bone marrow karyocytes, but there were no such cases in groups B and C.

CONCLUSIONSTPO level decreasing in patients with severe liver function impairments correlates with thrombocytopenia in advanced liver diseases. Autoimmune mechanism mediated by PAIg may play an important role in thrombocytopenia associated with viral hepatitis. Splenomegaly is the influencing factor leading to thrombocytopenia in viral hepatitis. Patients with chronic liver diseases had bone marrow depression, which may be a factor inducing thrombocytopenia in patients with viral hepatitis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatitis, Viral, Human ; blood ; complications ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Splenomegaly ; etiology ; Thrombocytopenia ; etiology ; Thrombopoietin ; blood

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of diazepam and modafinil on acute hepatic failure in mice. METHODS: Acute liver failure was induced in male Kunming strain mice by enterocoelia injecting the mice with D-GalN and LPS . The mice in the treatment groups were given corresponding drug 2 h before the administration of D-GalN and LPS, and the mice in the control group were given the same dose of distilled water. The 24-hour survival rate, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were compared. Serum levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1 and the levels of SOD, MDA, GR, GSH, NO and NOS in the liver were determined. RESULTS: Treatment with diazepam increased the survival rate and improved liver histological feature. Diazepam inhibited the serum levels of ALT, AST, TNF-alpha and IL-1, and reduced levels of MDA, NO and NOS and increased levels of GR and SOD in the liver. Modafinil decreased liver histological feature, increased the serum levels of ALT, AST, TNF-alpha and IL-1, increased level of MDA, and inhabited levels of SOD and GR in the liver. CONCLUSION Treatment with diazepam may suppress the D-GalN/LPS-induced acute hepatic failure and modafinil may facilitate the acute hepatic failure.
Animals ; Benzhydryl Compounds ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Diazepam ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Galactosamine ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Failure, Acute ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Male ; Mice ; Modafinil ; Random Allocation

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the protective effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) on acute hepatic failure induced by galactosamine (D-GalN) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice, and to explore its mechanism. METHODS: The mice were intraperitoneally administered D-GalN (800 mg/kg) and LPS (10 microg/kg), and then were intraperitoneally injected either saline (the control group )or rhG-CSF at 300 microg/kg body weight (the therapy group) at 4 h, 2 h and 0 h before the D-GalN/LPS injection. The survival rate of the mice was estimated at 24 h after the D-GalN/LPS injection. The degree of hepatic injury was evaluated at 6 h after the D-GalN/LPS injection, and the levels of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-6 and IL-10 mRNA were simultaneously measured by semiquantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: The survival rate of the therapy group was significantly higher than that of the control group (68.4% vs 20%, P<0.01). As compared with the control group, the degree of liver injury in the therapy group significantly decreased (P<0.05), and the levels of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma mRNA in the hepatic tissue also reduced remarkably (P<0.01, respectively), while the levels of IL-6 and IL-10 mRNA increased (P<0.01, respectively) at 6 h after the D-GalN/LPS injection. CONCLUSION G-CSF can protect the mice from acute hepatic failure induced by D-GalN/LPS.
Animals ; Galactosamine ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; therapeutic use ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Liver Failure, Acute ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Male ; Mice ; Protective Agents ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Recombinant Proteins

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical significance of serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) core antigen detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). METHODS: The serum HCV core antigen, which was taken from 149 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 20 patients of chronic hepatitis B and 20 health volunteers, was detected by ELISA. Meanwhile, the serum HCV RNA was detected by RT-PCR, and anti-HCV was detected by ELISA. RESULTS: The qualitative HCV core antigen in the serum, which was take from 20 patients of chronic hepatitis B and 20 health volunteers, was negative.The positive percentage of HCV core antigen was 49.66% in the 149 sera of patients with chronic hepatitis C. The coincidence of detective results of HCV RNA and HCV core antigen was 54.36%, without significant difference (P>0.05). The positive percentage of HCV RNA and HCV core antigen in the 149 anti-HCV antibody positive sera samples were 55.03% (82/149) and 49.66% (74/149), respectively, and there was no significant difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSION The qualitative HCV core antigen detected by ELISA has a high specificity. The positive percentage of HCV core antigen in the serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C is 49.66%. HCV core antigen is related to HCV RNA. HCV core antigen may be a useful serum marker which could show HCV viraemia like HCV RNA.
Hepatitis C Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; blood ; Humans ; RNA, Viral ; blood ; Viral Core Proteins ; blood

OBJECTIVEA proteomics approach was applied for finding multi-drug resistance (MDR) related proteins in hepatic cancer cell lines.

METHODSTwo-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to separate the total proteins of vincristine-resistant hepatic cancer cell line HepG2/VCR and its counterpart HepG2. The differential expression proteins between the two cell lines were identified by both MALDI-TOF-MS and ESI-Q-TOF-MS. Heat-shock protein 27 (HSP27), one of the differential expression proteins in the development of MDR of HepG2/VCR, was analyzed by HSP27 antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs).

RESULTSAs a high expression protein in HepG2/VCR, HSP27 was identified, and the suppression of HSP27 expression by HSP27 ASO enhanced the vincristine chemosensitivity of HepG2/VCR (P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONHSP27 is linked to MDR in human hepatic cancer cell line HepG2/VCR.

Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; HSP27 Heat-Shock Proteins ; metabolism ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; blood ; complications ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thrombocytopenia ; blood ; etiology ; Thrombopoietin ; blood

OBJECTIVESTo investigate whether hepatitis B virus X gene alone is sufficient to transform the non-transformed immortalized human liver cell line QSG7701 and induce hepatocellular carcinoma in vivo.

METHODSpCMVX/QSG7701 cells were transplanted into subcutaneous tissue of nude mice. pRcCMV2/QSG7701 and QSG7701 cells were used as control. Tumor formation was checked within 5 weeks after transplantation. The activity and food intake of the nude mice were recorded. The texture, volume and metastasis of transplantation tumor were observed grossly, and the HE stained transplantation tumor tissues were observed under optical microscope.

RESULTSThe transplantation tumor occurred in all of the six nude mice inoculated with pCMVX/QSG7701 cells at the second week after inoculation. No metastatic tumor was found in other organs. Transplant tumor was not formed in all of the negative control groups. The activity, eating and drinking of the nude mice transplanted with pCMVX/QSG7701 cells were normal, while their weights were increased gradually in the first 3 weeks. Since the 4th week after transplantation with pCMVX/QSG7701 cells, the activity of the mice was decreased and their body weight was no longer increased. It is interesting that the mental state and eating of those nude mice inoculated with pRcCMV2/QSG7701and QSG7701 cells were normal, and the weight was increasing all the time after inoculation. HE staining analysis confirmed that the transplanted tumor was hepatocellular carcinoma.

CONCLUSIONHBx alone is sufficient to transform the non-transformed immortalized human liver cell line QSG7701 and induce hepatocellular carcinoma in vivo.

Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude