title: Glycine and taurine equally prevent fatty livers from Kupffer cell-dependent injury: an in vivo microscopy study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  IRI still is a major problem in liver surgery due to warm ischemia and organ manipulation. Steatosis is not only induced by diabetes, hyperalimentation, alcohol and toxins, but also chemotherapy given before resection. Since steatotic livers are prone to Kupffer cell-dependent IRI, protection of steatotic livers is of special interest. This study was designed to compare the effect of taurine and glycine on IRI in steatotic livers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Steatosis was induced with ethanol (7 g/kg b.w.; p.o.) in female SD rats. Ten minutes after inactivation of Kupffer cells with taurine or glycine (300 mM; i.v.), left liver lobes underwent 60 minutes of warm ischemia. Controls received the same volume of valine (300 mM; i.v.) or normal saline. After reperfusion, white blood cell-endothelial interactions and latex-bead phagocytosis by Kupffer cells were investigated. Liver enzymes were measured to estimate injury. For statistical analysis, ANOVA and Student's t-test were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Glycine and taurine significantly decreased leukocyte- and platelet-endothelium interactions and latex-bead phagocytosis (p < 0.05). Liver enzymes were significantly lower after glycine and taurine (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that preconditioning with taurine or glycine is equally effective in preventing injury to fatty livers most likely via Kupffer cell-dependent mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Transplantation Surgery, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Helge
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bruns
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Watanpour
authors.forename: Martha-Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gebhard
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flechtenmacher
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schulze-Bergkamen
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zorn
authors.forename: Markus W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Büchler
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schemmer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007728:Kupffer Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D008853:Microscopy; D020011:Protective Agents; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D020011:Protective Agents; D013654:Taurine; D005998:Glycine