title: Preventive effect of gamma-glutamylcysteinylethyl ester on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic triglyceride accumulation in mice.
abstract: The effect of gamma-glutamylcysteinylethyl ester (gamma-GCE), which is a precursor of reduced glutathione (GSH), on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic triglyceride (TG) accumulation in mice was investigated in comparison with that of GSH. Administration of gamma-GCE (160 micromol/kg), but not GSH (160 micromol/kg), to mice at 3 h after CCl4 injection (1 ml/kg, i.p.) significantly attenuated an increase in hepatic TG concentration at 6, 12, and 24 h after the CCl4 injection. A decrease in hepatic GSH concentration after the CCl4 injection was significantly diminished by the gamma-GCE administration, but not by the GSH administration. The correlation coefficient between hepatic TG concentration and hepatic GSH concentration was -0.627 (P < 0.001) when the results of all mice were grouped together. These results indicate that gamma-GCE can attenuate CCl4-induced hepatic TG accumulation in mice through the maintenance of hepatic GSH level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan. knishida@fujita-hu.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride / Q000633:toxicity*; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004151:Dipeptides; D014280:Triglycerides; C067744:N-gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester; D002251:Carbon Tetrachloride; D005978:Glutathione