title: Melatonin Alleviates Liver Apoptosis in Bile Duct Ligation Young Rats.
abstract: Bile duct ligation (BDL)-treated rats display cholestasis and liver damages. The potential protective activity of melatonin in young BDL rats in terms of apoptosis, mitochondrial function, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis has not yet been evaluated. Three groups of young male Sprague-Dawley rats were used: one group received laparotomy (Sham), a second group received BDL for two weeks (BDL), and a third group received BDL and intraperitoneal melatonin (100 mg/day) for two weeks (BDL + M). BDL group rats showed liver apoptosis, increased pro-inflamamtory mediators, caspases alterations, anti-apoptotic factors changes, and dysfunction of ER homeostasis. Melatonin effectively reversed apoptosis, mainly through intrinsic pathway and reversed ER stress. In addition, in vitro study showed melatonin exerted its effect mainly through the melatonin 2 receptor (MT2) in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, BDL in young rats caused liver apoptosis. Melatonin rescued the apoptotic changes via the intrinsic pathway, and possibly through the MT2 receptor. Melatonin also reversed ER stress induced by BDL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. ray.sheen@gmail.com.|Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Linkou, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan. ray.sheen@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jiunn-Ming
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sheen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. gesicht27@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yu-Chieh
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. a03peggy@adm.cgmh.org.tw.
authors.forename: Mei-Hsin
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. tainyl@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: You-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Tain
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. yhhuang@cgmh.org.tw.
authors.forename: Ying-Hsien
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. tmm@adm.cgmh.org.tw.
authors.forename: Mao-Meng
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Tiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. violet7053@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Shih-Wen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123 Ta-Pei Road, Niao Sung, Kaohsiung 833, Taiwan. litung.huang@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Li-Tung
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000293:injuries; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D044123:Receptor, Melatonin, MT2 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D044123:Receptor, Melatonin, MT2; D008550:Melatonin
keywords: apoptosis; bile duct ligation; endoplasmic reticulum; melatonin; mitochondria