title: Down-regulation of TGFbeta1 and leptin ameliorates thioacetamide-induced liver injury in lipopolysaccharide-primed rats.
abstract: Pretreatment with a low dose of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) caused the reduction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and inflammatory factors which are capable of protecting the liver from a lethal LPS challenge. However, the effects of LPS pretreatment on the expression of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGFbeta1) and leptin in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis remain unknown. In this study, Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated intraperitoneally with LPS (5 mg/kg body weight) for 24 h, and subsequently treated with TAA (200 mg/kg body weight/ 3 days) for 1 month to examine the effects of LPS on TAA-injured rats. LPS pretreatment was associated with lower granulation and lower (P < 0.05) GOT/GPT than in TAA-injured rats. The LPS-pretreated group had less collagen (Sirius red histochemical staining). Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed that the levels of collagen 3 and TGFbeta1 mRNAs were lower (P < 0.05) in the liver of LPS-pretreated rats than in TAA-injured rats. TGFbetaRI mRNA in the liver of LPS-pretreated rats exceeded (P < 0.05) that in TAA-injured rats. LPS pretreatment reduced the leptin content (Western blot) below that of TAA-injured rats. These results imply that LPS pretreatment (endotoxin tolerance) alleviates the TAA-induced liver fibrosis of rats by reducing TGFbeta1 and leptin content.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huan-Nan
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Ching-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Weng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D024061:Collagen Type III / Q000032:analysis; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013853:Thioacetamide / Q000633:toxicity; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D024061:Collagen Type III; D020738:Leptin; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C508962:Tgfb1 protein, rat; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D013853:Thioacetamide