Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: EC:2.6.1.2 (alanine aminotransferase)
 26,722 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Studies have shown that ethanol at moderate concentrations inhibits epidermal growth factor-dependent replication of fetal rat hepatocytes in culture. This may account for the growth/development impairment associated with fetal alcohol syndrome and decreased liver regeneration in alcoholic liver disease. In this study, we further define the mechanism(s) of the negative impact of ethanol on fetal rat hepatocytes and provide evidence that ethanol-induced injury to these cells is associated with membrane damage caused by lipid peroxidation, altered cell glutathione homeostasis and deranged mitochondrial structure and function. Exposure of fetal rat hepatocyte replication to ethanol (2 mg/ml) promptly resulted in blockade of replication, as indicated by a 40% reduction in DNA synthesis (p < 0.05). Assessment of cell injury on the basis of lactate dehydrogenase and ALT leakage indicated a statistically significant but not appreciable effect, whereas 51Cr leakage was more substantially increased (p < 0.05). Within 6 hr of ethanol exposure, superoxide radical levels increased more than twofold (p < 0.05). We noted a 56% increase in levels of diene conjugates, a 131% increase in malonaldehyde concentration and a 66% increase in fluorescent products of lipid peroxidation (all p < 0.05). Glutathione levels were decreased to 47% below control values (p < 0.05). Electron microscopic studies illustrated a slight disruption of mitochondrial structure (enlargement of mitochondria and dilation of cristae). This disruption was accompanied by mitochondrial swelling (increased permeability), altered mitochondrial membrane potential (a 16% decrease in rhodamine uptake), a 28% decrease in succinate dehydrogenase activity and a 30% decrease in cellular ATP level (p < 0.05). Pretreatment of fetal rat hepatocytes with 0.1 mmol/L N-acetylcysteine or S-adenosylmethionine for 24 hr prevented the ethanol-induced reduction of ATP and glutathione levels, essentially restored cell replication, ameliorated 51Cr leakage and decreased malonaldehyde and diene conjugate levels to 41% to 65% and 25% above control values, respectively. Pretreatment with 0.1 mmol/L vitamin E fully normalized malonaldehyde and diene conjugate levels and 51Cr leakage but failed to improve ATP levels or to increase significantly cell replication and glutathione levels. Concomitant administration of glutathione precursors with ethanol, rather than pretreatment, did not alter the impaired cell replication. Thus our data underscore the importance of cellular glutathione and ATP in preventing ethanol-induced decreases in fetal cell replication and suggest that alleviation of cellular lipid peroxidation alone is not sufficient to prevent this abnormality in fetal rat hepatocyte function.
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PMID:Effect of ethanol on rat fetal hepatocytes: studies on cell replication, lipid peroxidation and glutathione. 835 6

Superoxide radical (O2-) is a free radical that may be involved in various toxic processes. Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase catalyzes the dismutation of the superoxide free radical and protects cells from oxidative damage. A rat bioassay validated for the identification of the toxic effects of azomethine H revealed increased serum activities of amylase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase. The lipoperoxide and bilirubin concentrations were also increased in animals that received azomethine H (1 g/kg) from ascorbic or hydrochloric acid solutions. Azomethine H increased Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase activity. This elevation of Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase activity was highest on the 7th day and was at levels comparable with those of control rats from day 60 onwards. Superoxide is an important intermediate in the action and toxicity of azomethine H.
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PMID:Reactive oxygen generation by azomethine H: a new antimalarial drug. 856 88

Superoxide anion radical (O2-) is one factor related to ischemia/reperfusion injury to the liver. The sites of O2- production and injury have yet to be determined. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), a specific scavenger for O2-, has an inhibitory effect on injury caused by O2-. SOD is of low molecular weight; hence, it has a short half-life in the circulating blood. Mannosylated SOD is taken up in sinusoidal endothelial cells of the liver by receptor-mediated endocytosis. In rats with an occluded inflow against 70% of the liver for 30 min followed by reperfusion there were elevations of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, and lipid peroxide concentrations in liver tissue were significantly inhibited by intravenous administration of mannosylated SOD compared to treatment with normal saline. Electron microscopic examination showed that mannosylated SOD protected against damage to the sinusoidal endothelial cells caused by ischemia/reperfusion and that conventional SOD had no such protective effect. Thus, O2- produced by ischemia/reperfusion apparently damages sinusoidal endothelial cells, and damage to hepatic parenchymal cells is secondary. Mannosylated SOD deserves further study for possible use in surgical resection of the liver and for liver transplantations.
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PMID:Mannosylated superoxide dismutase inhibits hepatic reperfusion injury in rats. 859 29

The present studies were performed to test the hypothesis that Kupffer and endothelial cells are activated after recovery from an acute alcohol binge, which is accompanied by formation of oxygen-derived radicals. These radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of alcohol-mediated tissue injury in a number of organs. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received an intravenous injection of 20% ethanol in saline (1.75 g/kg), followed by an intravenous infusion (250 to 300 mg/kg/hr) for 12 hr. At the end of 12-hr infusion, ethanol was replaced by saline, and the infusion was continued for a further 6 hr. This was referred to as the recovery period. The 6-hr recovery period was selected because superoxide anion generation by the perfused liver peaked at this time point. Superoxide anion formation by the perfused liver was measured by the superoxide dismutase-inhibitable reduction of ferricytochrome c. Kupffer and endothelial cells were isolated for the determination of in vivo glucose uptake and in vitro superoxide anion release. Results show that a significant (p < 0.05) amount of superoxide (1.54 nmol/min/g) was generated by the perfused liver at 6 hr recovery after 12 hr of ethanol infusion. Serum ALT activity was also elevated in this treatment group. Time-matched control-saline infused animals or ethanol-treated animals without a recovery period released < 0.2 nmol/min/g of superoxide. The postrecovery superoxide production and an accompanying increase in the in vivo glucose uptake were also observed in isolated Kupffer and endothelial cells. Depletion of Kupffer cells by gadolinium chloride before ethanol treatment and recovery was associated with significant attenuation of free radical formation by the perfused liver and reduction of serum ALT. These studies demonstrate that recovery from an acute alcohol binge has a stimulating effect on hepatic sinusoidal superoxide production, and it may also affect liver function.
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PMID:Postbinge effects of acute alcohol intoxication on hepatic free radical formation. 872 45

To determine whether oxygen free radicals are responsible for the pathogenesis of the cholestasis induced by ligation of common bile duct (CBD) variables which reflect the hepatic function in the serum, the amount of superoxide radical production, and xanthine oxidase(XO) activity were studied. The activity of serum alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin level in the serum and the amount of superoxide radical production were lower in a CBD ligation with allopurinol treated group than in a CBD ligation without allopurinol treated group. Abnormalities of the microscopic structures were reduced in a CBD ligation with allopurinol treated group than in a CBD ligation without allopurinol treated group. Allopurinol, an inhibitor of XO, prevented the hepatic damage induced by CBD ligation through the inhibition of XO. These experiments demonstrate that oxygen free radicals are responsible for the pathogenesis of the cholestatic liver.
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PMID:The protective effect of allopurinol on cholestatic liver injury induced by bile duct ligation. 884 6

Reactive oxygen species such as nitric oxide (NO) and/or superoxide have been proposed as mediators in the pathogenesis of reperfusion injury and acute endotoxemia. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of NO in a model of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion with endotoxemia (I/R + LPS). Rats subjected to 30 min of partial hepatic ischemia followed by reperfusion and LPS (Salmonella enteritidis, 1 mg/kg, i.v.,) administration, exhibited a marked, time-dependent increase in plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels compared to sham controls. An abrupt increase in liver nitrite/nitrate levels was also observed in I/R + LPS rats in association with the increases in plasma ALT. Although liver NO production in I/R + LPS rats increased with time, exacerbation of liver damage was not evident. Administration of L-NAME decreased NO production in plasma and liver but did not affect the liver damage in rats subjected to I/R + LPS. Superoxide levels in livers from I/R + LPS rats increased by threefold after 90 min reperfusion as compared to sham controls but dropped to control levels after 4 hr. There was a significant increase in neutrophils in liver lobes subjected to ischemia-reperfusion and LPS compared to sham controls and to non-ischemic lobes which received LPS. The number of neutrophils in the liver increased further in rats given L-NAME. These results suggest that the progressive injury seen in livers of I/R + LPS rats was possibly due to NO interaction with superoxide forming another reactive oxygen species such as peroxynitrite. However, inhibition of NO synthesis did not ameliorate liver damage, possibly because of an increase in tissue accumulation of activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). Lung NO production increased in I/R + LPS rats after 4 hr reperfusion compared to sham controls. Prior administration of L-NAME did not prevent a significant rise in pulmonary NO generation (P < 0.05 at 90 min and 4 hr, compared to sham controls). This unexpected rise of pulmonary NO in the L-NAME treated group of rats was associated with a tendency for increased PMN accumulation (based on myeloperoxidase data) and superoxide generation. The results suggest that endogenous NO protected against excessive neutrophil infiltration in the lung in this model of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion and endotoxemia, and the use of L-NAME, a nonselective NOS inhibitor, may aggravate lung injury.
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PMID:Role of nitric oxide in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion with endotoxemia. 884 95

Using the cytochrome c method, superoxide anion that is released into the hepatic sinusoid was measured after a lipopolysaccharide challenge in a liver perfusion system. Moreover, damages of epithelial cells of the hepatic sinusoid were estimated with scanning electron microscopic analysis and levels of purine nucleoside phosphorylase/GPT ratio. Lipopolysaccharide administration increased the conversion of oxidized cytochrome c into reduced cytochrome c in the perfusate, indicating that superoxide anion was formed in the hepatic sinusoid. This change was associated with increase in levels of portal tumor necrosis factor-alpha and attenuated by the simultaneous administration of superoxide dismutase. Scanning electron microscope analysis revealed that diameters of sinusoidal fenestrae increased in rats treated with lipopolysaccharide, compared with controls. Moreover, levels of purine nucleoside phosphorylase/GPT ratio was significantly increased in the liver perfusate in lipopolysaccharide-treated rats, compared with controls. Superoxide anion in hepatic sinusoid may be one of the pathogenic factors behind damages of epithelial cells of the hepatic sinusoid caused by lipopolysaccharide.
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PMID:Formation of superoxide anion in the hepatic sinusoid after lipopolysaccharide challenge. 962 90

Superoxide anion release into the hepatic sinusoids and subsequent damage to the endothelial cells of the hepatic sinusoids after ethanol challenge was examined. A 250 mg/kg body weight/hr dose of ethanol was given to rats for 3 hr, and superoxide anion release into the hepatic sinusoids was examined in a liver perfusion model using the cytochrome c method. Ethanol treatment resulted in superoxide anion release into the hepatic sinusoids (0.20 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.12 +/- 0.02 o.d., p < 0.05) and an increase in the purine nucleoside phosphorylase/alanine aminotransferase ratio in the liver perfusate, a marker of damage to the endothelial cells of the hepatic sinusoids (0.003 +/- 0.002 vs. 0.008 +/- 0.002; p < 0.05). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha was not detectable in either group, and there were no significant differences in the population of hepatic macrophages, leukocytes, or Kupffer cells between the two groups. To clarify the role of Kupffer cells in the mechanism, 10 mg/kg of body weight of gadolinium chloride was given to rats twice, 24 hr apart, resulting in depletion of ED2-positive cells from the hepatic lobules. The superoxide anion release after the ethanol challenge was significantly attenuated in the Kupffer cell-depleted rats, compared with the controls (0.14 +/- 0.02; p < 0.05, compared with ethanol alone). The change was associated with a significant decrease in the purine nucleoside phosphorylase/alanine aminotransferase ratio in the liver perfusate (0.004 +/- 0.002; p < 0.05, compared with ethanol alone). Ethanol causes superoxide anion release into the hepatic sinusoid and subsequent damage to the sinusoidal endothelial cells. These changes were reduced by Kupffer cell depletion. This supports the view that Kupffer cell depletion has a protective effect on ethanol-induced liver injury.
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PMID:Superoxide anion release into the hepatic sinusoid after an acute ethanol challenge and its attenuation by Kupffer cell depletion. 1023 83

In the past decade it became accepted that free radicals, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense play a role in various tissues damages, thus in certain liver diseases as well. Since only limited data have been reported concerning the oxidative stress in viral hepatitis, a comparative study was performed in patients (pts) with chronic hepatitis C and alcoholic liver disease. In addition, the effects of a flavonolignan drug silymarin were assessed. 10 pts with chronic hepatitis C, 5 pts with alcoholic hepatitis and 13 pts with alcoholic cirrhosis have been investigated. Biochemical liver tests (serum bilirubin, aminotransferases, ALT, AST, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), pseudocholinesterase, prothrombin), malandialdehyde (MDA) levels in plasma and red blood cell (RBC) hemolysate, superoxide radical generating capacity of stimulated polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMN), plasma concentrations of reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione, vitamin A, luteine and beta carotene, furthermore RBC superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase activities were determined. The level of plasma MDA--as the marker of lipid peroxidation--was highest in alcoholic cirrhosis (five times of normal) (p < 0.05), the RBC hemolysate MDA was most elevated in chronic hepatitis C (p < 0.05). The mean PMNs' superoxide radical generating capacity was 116.6% of normal control in alcoholic hepatitis, where the mean GSH level was the lowest (89.8% of normal). Plasma vitamin A content was lowest in alcoholic cirrhosis (68% of control) (p < 0.05). SOD activity was elevated in both chronic hepatitis C and alcoholic cirrhosis, where GPx activity was decreased (p < 0.05). There was a correlation between LDH and SOD activities (r = 0.77, p = 0.015). Silymarin treatment of one month duration resulted in normalization of serum bilirubin in 55% of treated pts, AST became normal in 45%, and RBC hemolyzate MDA level normalized in similar rate. A significant increase in both GSH and retinoids was found. Alterations in oxidative stress and antioxidant defense system were shown in chronic hepatitis C, not only in alcoholic liver disease. The parameters of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense may be useful surrogate markers for monitoring pts with liver disease during hepatoprotective treatment.
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PMID:[Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense in alcoholic liver disease and chronic hepatitis C]. 1096 2

The effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) (Ig/kg body weight in saline for 7 days) against the damages induced by gamma ray was studied. Whole body exposure of rats to gamma-rays (3.5 Gy) caused increases in lipid peroxides (P < 0.01). Reduced glutathione (GSH) (P < 0.01) and total sulphydryl groups (TSH) (P < 0.05), were found to be increased probably to counteract the damages produced by the lipid peroxides. The plasma antioxidant vitamins E, C and A were reduced. The activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were enhanced, which might be to eliminate the superoxide radical and H2O2 and accompanied by a fall in glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) activity. The excessive production of free radicals and lipid peroxides might have caused the leakage of cytosolic enzymes such as aminotransferases (AST and ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) and phosphatases. Membrane damage is quite evident from histological studies undertaken in the intestinal tissue, which is susceptible to radiation damage. Intragastric pretreatment of NAC (1g/kg body weight in saline for 7 days) prevented the radiation induced damage to an appreciable extent. From the results it may be concluded that NAC is effective in protecting from the damages caused by gamma-ray radiations and its prospects as an adjuvant to radiotherapy should be considered.
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PMID:Protective effect of N-acetylcysteine against gamma ray induced damages in rats--biochemical evaluations. 1262 81


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