title: Thioacetamide-induced hepatic fibrosis in transforming growth factor beta-1 transgenic mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta 1) is thought to be one of the most important factors affecting the development of fibrotic processes in the liver.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To discover whether endogenously higher TGF-beta 1 production influences the progression and reversibility of liver fibrosis in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis between wild-type and transgenic mice overexpressing active TGF-beta 1 in the liver. Hepatic fibrosis was detected on histological sections, and fibrotic areas were measured by means of morphometric analysis. We also performed Northern blot hybridisation and gelatine zymography to improve our understanding of the process.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The fibrotic process was faster in the transgenic animals, and regression after the withdrawal of the fibrogenic agent was slower. Fibrosis did not disappear completely from the TGF-beta 1 overexpressing mice, even at the endpoint of the experiment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since the increased TGF-beta 1 production in the liver slowed down the regression of the liver fibrosis, the behaviour of these transgenic mice is more similar to the human situation, where cirrhosis is irreversible. We propose that this transgenic model is more suitable for investigating fibrotic liver diseases than the experiments done previously on wild-type rodents.
authors.affiliation: First Institute of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schnur
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oláh
authors.forename: Agota
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szepesi
authors.forename: Péter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.forename: Snorri S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Thorgeirsson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern / Q000379:methods; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D018093:Gelatinases / Q000378:metabolism; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D013853:Thioacetamide; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; C508961:Tgfb1 protein, mouse; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D013853:Thioacetamide; D003094:Collagen; D018093:Gelatinases; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases