Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Pivot Concepts:
Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Target Concepts:
Gene/Protein
Disease
Symptom
Drug
Enzyme
Compound
Query: UMLS:C0220723 (
PCA
)
4,687
document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a neurologic disease associated with hepatic dysfunction. Astroglial and neuronal alterations have been described in the basal ganglia in HE. Our study was performed to determine whether such alterations are mediated by nitric oxide (NO), by using an experimental model of HE (portacaval anastomosis [
PCA
]). The expression of the NO synthases (
nNOS
and iNOS) and the production of nitrotyrosine (NT) were evaluated in the striatum of rats exposed to
PCA
for 1 and 6 months. The expression of
nNOS
in the striatal neurons of
PCA
rats was increased compared to controls.
nNOS
expression was also detectable in astrocytes after 6 months of exposure to
PCA
. Whereas astroglial cells in the normal striatum showed no iNOS expression, iNOS was expressed in the astrocytes of
PCA
brains, mainly in perivascular processes at 6 months
PCA
exposure (demonstrated by colocalization with GFAP). The increased expression of both the
nNOS
and iNOS isoforms in
PCA
rats might indicate a critical role for NO in the pathomechanism of HE. To study the potential cell damage caused by NO, the deposition of NT in
PCA
-rats was analysed. Nitrotyrosine was detected in neurons although it was mainly seen in the astrocytes of
PCA
brains, in which double immunolabelling showed NT to be colocalized with GFAP. Thus, the present study shows the induction of iNOS and NT in astrocytes, which increases with the duration of
PCA
exposure. This suggests that the induced astroglial production of NO during
PCA
might be one of the main factors contributing to HE.
...
PMID:Induction of NOS and nitrotyrosine expression in the rat striatum following experimental hepatic encephalopathy. 1976 2
