title: Corn baked by burning coal triggered overexpression of osteopontin in hepatocytes of rats following fluorosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the expression of osteopontin (OPN) in hepatocytes of rats fed with corn baked by burning coal from fluorosis areas and a deficiency of calcium/protein intake following fluorosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 48 Wistar rats as objects were randomly assorted into four groups: dose-free fluorine group, which were mainly fed with fluorine-free corn (56% structurally), dose-free fluorine with biased dietary group, which were fed with lower contents of protein (119.41 g/kg) and calcium (0.68 g/kg), high-dose fluorine group (fluorine contents: 104.2 mg/kg), and high-dose fluorine with biased dietary group. After 180 days of cultivation, the contents of fluorine in the bones of rats were tested for the assessment of construction of fluorosis animal model. And the expression of OPN in hepatocytes of rats in different groups was detected with immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The present study validated the result that OPN was overexpressed in hepatocytes following fluorosis after oral intake of burning coal-baked corn. OPN was expressed most significantly in high fluorine with biased dietary group, and the high-fluorine group ranked the second most; and dose-free fluorine with biased dietary group ranked the third. The dose-free fluorine group expressed the least OPN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overexpression of OPN in hepatocytes following fluorosis after excess fluorine intake was involved in liver damage process, which was enhanced by deficiency of calcium and protein intake. The results also demonstrated that the development of fluorosis in Guizhou province was correlated with local baking staple corn as a way of excess intake of fluorine and deficiency of calcium/protein intake.
authors: Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang, China.
authors: Yi-Xia
authors: YX
authors: Zhou
authors: Sui-Lin
authors: SL
authors: Mo
authors: Rui Hua
authors: RH
authors: Wang
authors: Wei-Feng
authors: WF
authors: Liu
authors: Ji-Chan
authors: JC
authors: Liu
authors: Jia-Qi
authors: JQ
authors: Wang
authors: Jiang
authors: J
authors: He
authors: Hua
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Zhi-Zhong
authors: ZZ
authors: Guan
authors: Shu-Feng
authors: SF
authors: Zhou
authors: Yan-Ni
authors: YN
authors: Yu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002118:Calcium / Q000172:deficiency; D002681:China; D003031:Coal; D003296:Cooking; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism; D053495:Osteopontin / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D003031:Coal; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D053495:Osteopontin; D002118:Calcium