Gene expression and cytokine and enzyme activation in the liver after a burn injury.
The liver plays a critical role in the inflammatory response to injury; however, the mechanisms by which the liver is affected and how it influences the rest of the immune system are not well understood. Partial hepatectomy is a direct injury to the liver, whereas a burn is an indirect injury to liver, but both injuries appear to produce damage to the liver. In this study, we used a mouse model of 25% total body surface area and 40% total body surface area full-thickness burns to investigate the mechanism of liver damage and response to burn injury by measuring levels of c-Jun messenger (m)RNA, NFkappaB nuclear protein, interleukin-6, transaminases, and liver tissue histology over time. c-Jun and NFkappaB are 2 transcription factors that are induced by partial hepatectomy and related to hepatocyte injury and growth. In both groups of mice with burns, expression of c-Jun mRNA and NFkappaB nuclear protein was activated within 30 minutes after the burn injury, followed by increased levels of interleukin-6 and, finally, elevated enzyme levels. Liver injuries were similar in both groups despite the magnitude of the burns. We believe that these gene products are initiated in the hepatocyte injury after a burn and that they precede other inflammatory responses such as cytokine release, plasma transaminase levels, and histologic changes.
Nishiura
T
T
Department of Surgery and the Jaycee Burn Center, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, USA.
Nishimura
T
T
deSerres
S
S
Godfrey
V
V
Bradham
C A
CA
Nakagawa
T
T
Brenner
D A
DA
Meyer
A A
AA
D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism; D000641:Ammonia / Q000097:blood; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D002056:Burns / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D046508:Culture Techniques; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015870:Gene Expression; D016758:Genes, jun / Q000235:genetics*; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D009336:Necrosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011897:Random Allocation; D012016:Reference Values
D016207:Cytokines; D016328:NF-kappa B; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000641:Ammonia; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase