title: Acute effects of huperzine A and tacrine on rat liver.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the acute effects of huperzine A and tacrine on rat liver.
  
  
  METHODS
  Changes of liver coefficient, serum biochemistry, and histopathology were detected after single dose. In vitro cytotoxicity was assessed by determining extracellular and intracellular amount of lactate dehydrogenase in cultured hepatocytes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both huperzine A and tacrine raised liver coefficient and increased serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. Tacrine induced liver histopathologic changes. The acute effects of huperzine A on liver could be redressed by atropine, while effects of tacrine on liver could not. Concentration-dependent in vitro cytotoxicity occurred with tacrine, but not with huperzine A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The acute effects of huperzine A on rat liver are not related to hepatotoxicity. The acute effects of tacrine on rat liver are related to hepatotoxicity.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 200031.
authors.forename: Xiao-Chao
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Hai-Xue
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zeng-Hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Tu
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000470:Alkaloids; D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012717:Sesquiterpenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013619:Tacrine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D012717:Sesquiterpenes; C050426:huperzine A; D013619:Tacrine; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase