title: Evaluation of drug-induced tissue injury by measuring alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in silkworm hemolymph.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our previous studies suggest silkworms can be used as model animals instead of mammals in pharmacologic studies to develop novel therapeutic medicines. We examined the usefulness of the silkworm larvae Bombyx mori as an animal model for evaluating tissue injury induced by various cytotoxic drugs. Drugs that induce hepatotoxic effects in mammals were injected into the silkworm hemocoel, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity was measured in the hemolymph 1 day later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Injection of CCl4 into the hemocoel led to an increase in ALT activity. The increase in ALT activity was attenuated by pretreatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine. Injection of benzoic acid derivatives, ferric sulfate, sodium valproate, tetracycline, amiodarone hydrochloride, methyldopa, ketoconazole, pemoline (Betanamin), N-nitroso-fenfluramine, and D-galactosamine also increased ALT activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that silkworms are useful for evaluating the effects of chemicals that induce tissue injury in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inagaki
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kataoka
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsuhashi
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekimizu
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D012831:Bombyx / Q000201:enzymology*; D003603:Cytotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D023421:Models, Animal
chemical_list: D003603:Cytotoxins; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D000111:Acetylcysteine