title: Cholestasis is associated with preproenkephalin mRNA expression in the adult rat liver.
abstract: Cholestatic liver disease is associated with clinical and experimental findings consistent with increased opioidergic neuromodulation, increased plasma total opioid activity, and elevated plasma enkephalin concentrations. In contrast to the normal adult rat liver, preproenkephalin mRNA was detected by Northern blotting in livers of adult rats with cholestasis due to bile duct resection and not in the sham-resected controls. Preprodynorphin mRNA was not detected in livers of either group, while preproopiomelanocortin mRNA was found in very low levels in both groups. Preproenkephalin mRNA was not expressed in the livers of rats with acute hepatocellular necrosis induced by thioacetamide. Hybridization histochemistry of cholestatic livers demonstrated the presence of preproenkephalin mRNA primarily over cells in the periportal areas, some of which appeared to be proliferating bile ductular cells. Immunohistochemical staining of cholestatic liver indicated the production of at least Met-enkephalin in association with preproenkephalin gene expression. These findings suggest that the liver itself, by synthesizing enkephalins, contributes directly to the abnormalities of the opioid system reported in cholestasis.
authors.affiliation: Digestive Diseases Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Bergasa
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Sabol
authors.forename: W S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Kleiner
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002779:Cholestasis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004399:Dynorphins / Q000235:genetics; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000235:genetics*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin / Q000235:genetics; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D004745:Enkephalins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C036448:pre-prodynorphin; D011333:Pro-Opiomelanocortin; D004399:Dynorphins; C033660:preproenkephalin