title: Metabolism of HGF-SF and its role in liver regeneration.
abstract: HGF-SF is rapidly sequestered in the liver after intravenous injection. This demonstrates that liver is the major organ responsible for clearance of HGF-SF. A minor involvement of the kidney in that function was also shown. Plasma levels of HGF-SF mRNA increase by 15-17 fold rapidly after 2/3 partial hepatectomy. This increase precedes the increase of HGF-SF mRNA in liver following surgical resection. The findings strongly suggest that the observed rapid elevation in plasma HGF-SF after 2/3 partial hepatectomy is due to decrease of clearance by the liver. A mechanism is proposed whereby changes in HGF-SF levels due to removal of hepatic mass stimulate entry of hepatocytes from G0 to G1 and eventually lead to DNA synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261.
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Michalopoulos
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Appasamy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006498:Hepatectomy; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D008115:Liver Regeneration; D051381:Rats; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor