title: Stimulation of asialoglycoprotein uptake by recombinant human hepatocyte growth factor in normal and damaged rat liver.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a strong mitogen of hepatocytes. However, little is known about the effect of HGF on the asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPR) of hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to identify alterations in binding of ligand to ASGPR by recombinant human HGF (rhHGF) infusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  RhHGF was administered to rats with either normal or dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-damaged livers. Technetium-99m-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid-galactosyl-human serum albumin (GSA) blood clearance was used to measure ASGPR activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In normal and damaged rats, liver weight, hepatocyte nuclear size, and number of hepatocytes (cells/mm2) were not altered by rhHGF, but GSA blood clearance after rhHGF infusion was significantly increased over the preinfusion rate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Independent of proliferation of hepatocytes, rhHGF stimulates a hepatocytic function of the receptor-mediated uptake of ASGP.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Radiology, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kouda
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Ha-Kawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037263:Asialoglycoprotein Receptor; D001212:Asialoglycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury; D004128:Dimethylnitrosamine; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D037263:Asialoglycoprotein Receptor; D001212:Asialoglycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D004128:Dimethylnitrosamine