Expression of hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor c-met, correlates with severity of pathological injury in experimental alcoholic liver disease.
Expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor, c-met is up-regulated in various forms of liver injury. This study evaluated the relationship between HGF and c-met expression and pathological changes in experimental alcoholic liver disease. Rats (5 per group) were fed ethanol and a diet containing saturated fat corn oil or fish oil by intragastric infusion. Dextrose isocalorically replaced ethanol in controls. In a second set of experiments, Kupffer cells, endothelial cells and hepatocytes were isolated from rats in each group. Pathological evaluation and analysis of HGF and c-met expression were performed in liver and the different cell types. Increased expression of HGF and c-met expression was detected in the liver of rats showing necroinflammatory changes. The Kupffer and endothelial cells were primarily responsible for the increase in HGF, c-met expression was seen only in hepatocytes. Thus, up-regulation of HGF and c-met occurred in the presence of the necrosis and inflammation suggesting that HGF may be acting to protect against liver injury or accelerate the regenerative process.
Lalani
El-Nasir
el-N
Department of Histopathology, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Campus, London, UK.
Poulsom
Richard
R
Stamp
Gordon
G
Fogt
Franz
F
Thomas
Peter
P
Nanji
Amin A
AA
D000818:Animals; D004041:Dietary Fats; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D000431:Ethanol; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015854:Up-Regulation
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D000431:Ethanol; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met