Production of septal fibrosis of the liver by means of foreign protein injections into rats

Abstract

Similarities and differences in antigenic humoral responses and electrophoretic patterns between Capillaria hepatica and pig-serum were investigated as a contribution to the understanding of hepatic fibrosis induced by the parenteral administration of foreign proteins. Only two out of 10 rats receiving repeated intraperitoneal injections of an extract of Capillaria hepatica-infected mouse liver presented septal hepatic fibrosis (20%). Under the same experimental conditions, 4 out of 9 rats (44.4%) developed septal fibrosis following whole pig-serum administration. Injections of normal mouse liver extracts did not result in hepatic fibrosis. Since a 100% septal fibrosis rate is observed in experimentally Capillaria hepatica-infected rats, it appeared that Capillaria hepatica products continuously released from inside the liver creates a much more effective fibrosis inducing mechanism than the parenteral administration of such factors. Thus, repeated peritoneal administration of a foreign protein to rats would not reveal the full fibrogenic potential it may have under natural conditions. Key-words: Capillaria hepatica. Hepatic fibrosis. Pig-serum model.Resumo Para se investigar o potencial fibrogênico de materiais derivados da Capillaria hepatica foi feita uma tentativa para se induzir fibrose hepática septal em ratos, através de injeções intraperitoneais repetidas de um extrato de fígado de camundongo infectado pela Capillaria hepática. Dois dos 10 ratos assim tratados desenvolveram fibrose. Comparativamente, 4 dos 9 ratos que receberam injeções de soro de porco desenvolveram fibrose septal do fígado, enquanto nenhuma fibrose apareceu em 10 ratos tratados com extratos de fígado normal de camundongo. Uma vez que, na infecção natural de ratos pela Capillaria hepatica, a fibrose aparece em 100% dos casos, fica evidente que a administração intraperitoneal de uma substância não revela inteiramente o seu potencial fibrogênico. Palavras-chaves: Capillaria hepatica. Fibrose septal hepática. Modelo do soro de porco.

Capillaria hepatica in rats: focal parasitic hepatic lesions and septal fibrosis run independent courses

“…Future studies should be concentrated on the factors present within the active focal parasitic lesions in order to isolate the main factor or its molecules that stimulate the process of septal fibrosis in the rat. A whole extract of the lesions does not suffice, since repeated injections of such material into rats resulted in only 20% of septal fibrosis, while, under the same experimental conditions, whole pig-serum administration caused 44.4% of septal fibrosis (Gotardo et al 2003). Finally, studies aiming at detecting the molecular pathogenesis of fibrosis may bring crucial data for the understanding and treatment of fibrosis, and the C. hepatica model stands as a good candidate.…”

Depletion of β‐arrestin2 in hepatic stellate cells reduces cell proliferation via ERK pathway

“…Hepatic fibrosis induced by PS injection causes acute hepatocellular injury and leads to progressive fibrogenesis. Although the mechanism of PS‐induced liver injury is not well understood, oxidative stress or proinflammatory cytokinesis plays an important role in the development of both hepatocellular injury and fibrogenesis [Gotardo et al, 2003]. This study selected the PS‐induced hepatic fibrosis model, employing immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting to detect dynamic β‐arrestin1 and β‐arrestin2 expression in rat liver tissue.…”

A standardized extract from Paeonia lactiflora and Astragalus membranaceus attenuates liver fibrosis induced by porcine serum in rats

“…Most of the hepatic fibrosis models are so-called post-necrotic hepatic fibrosis, while PS-induced rat hepatic fibrosis model is characterized by accompanying moderate hepatocyte damage (24). Histologically, the changes of PS-induced rat hepatic fibrosis were characterized by mononuclear cell infiltration and fibrotic response in the periportal area, followed by the septum formation connecting portal tract with central veins (25). Changes in PS-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats have some similarities to those observed in hepatic diseases in human.…”