title: Collagenolytic cathepsin B and L activity in experimental fibrotic liver and human liver.
abstract: To clarify the role of individual collagenolytic cathepsin in hepatic collagen degradation, cathepsin B and L activities were determined in normal and CCl4-induced fibrotic liver, together with non-collagenolytic cathepsin H. Cathepsin B and L activities increased 1.9- and 2.0- fold, respectively, in the fibrotic liver as compared with the normal liver, and were significantly correlated with hepatic hydroxyproline levels. By contrast, cathepsin H activity was not altered in fibrotic rats. Similar results were also obtained from autopsied human livers. These results suggest that cathepsin B and L are similarly induced by hepatic collagen levels and are implicated in degrading collagens, especially soluble collagen.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Tottori University School of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murawaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000378:metabolism*; D056655:Cathepsin H; D056668:Cathepsin L; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D010450:Endopeptidases; D006801:Humans; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D002403:Cathepsins; D010450:Endopeptidases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D002401:Cathepsin B; C534281:CTSL protein, human; D056668:Cathepsin L; C534280:Ctsl protein, rat; C534126:CTSH protein, human; D056655:Cathepsin H; C534128:Ctsh protein, rat; D006909:Hydroxyproline