Reversal of phenobarbital-induced hyperplasia and hypertrophy in the livers of lpr mice

International Journal of Experimental Pathology
C E SarrafM R Alison

Abstract

Fas is a cell surface receptor that mediates apoptosis, and Fas mRNA has been demonstrated in hepatocytes. MRL/MP-lpr/lpr mice carry the mutated lymphoproliferation-associated gene, lpr, that codes for truncated Fas protein, resulting in reduced apoptotic potential in some circumstances. Phenobarbital treatment of experimental animals induces cytochrome P450 enzymes, and thus acts as a growth stimulus to the liver with both hyperplasia and hypertrophy; cessation results in reversion of liver to normal size with apoptosis playing a role. This study has determined the respective contributions of atrophy and apoptosis to this involution in Fas-defective and normal-FAs bearing animals. Between the first day and the fifth day after phenobarbital cessation, the weights of both Fas-defective (lpr/lpr) livers and control (lpr/+) livers reduced. Hepatocyte hypertrophy gradually reverted in both categories of mouse and this was the greater contribution to reduction in liver size. In lpr/lpr animals, there was a consistent level of apoptosis which remained relatively constant, while numbers of apoptotic cells in control livers increased over the period. This investigation has shown that in liver, a mechanism to execute apoptosis is operat...Continue Reading

Citations

Mar 13, 2008·The Biochemical Journal·Karen WallaceMatthew C Wright
Feb 25, 2005·Toxicological Sciences : an Official Journal of the Society of Toxicology·Wilfried BurschRolf Schulte-Hermann

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Apoptosis

Apoptosis is a specific process that leads to programmed cell death through the activation of an evolutionary conserved intracellular pathway leading to pathognomic cellular changes distinct from cellular necrosis