Overexpression of a p‐glycoprotein in hepatocellular carcinomas from woodchuck hepatitis virus‐infected woodchucks (Marmota monax)

S E Dunn, C S Hughes, G A LeBlanc, J M Cullen – 1 April 1996 – The leading cause of human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) is hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Woodchucks infected with a closely related hepadnavirus, woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV), serve as a model for HBV because woodchucks chronically infected with WHV also develop hepatocellular carcinomas. Increased expression of p‐glycoprotein (pgp) in human HCCs is a common obstacle in successful cancer chemotherapy. Pgps are encoded by a family of multidrug‐resistance (MDR) genes.

Induction of interleukin‐6 by interferon alfa and its abrogation by a serine protease inhibitor in patients with chronic hepatitis C

N Ito, S Kawata, S Tamura, S Kiso, H Tsushima, Y Maeda, E Yamasaki, T Igura, Y Matsuzawa – 1 April 1996 – We investigated short‐term alterations in plasma interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF‐α) levels induced by interferon alfa (IFN‐α) injection in 18 patients with chronic hepatitis C. A single intramuscular injection of human recombinant IFN‐α 2a (6 million units [MU]) significantly increased the plasma IL‐6 level 6 hours after the injection (P < .05). On the other hand, the IFN‐α injection did not affect the plasma TNF‐α and IL‐lβ levels.

Selective intestinal decontamination with norfloxacin reduces bacterial translocation in ascitic cirrhotic rats exposed to hemorrhagic shock

J M Llovet, R Bartoli, R Planas, B Vinado, J Perez, E Cabre, J Arnal, I Ojanguren, V Ausina, M A Gassull – 1 April 1996 – Bacterial translocation (BT) can be involved in the pathogenesis of severe infections due to bacteria of enteric origin that complicates bleeding cirrhotic patients.

Interleukin 1 β markedly stimulates nitric oxide formation in the absence of other cytokines or lipopolysaccharide in primary cultured rat hepatocytes but not in Kupffer cells

H Kitade, K Sakitani, K Inoue, Y Masu, N Kawada, Y Hiramatsu, Y Kamiyama, T Okumura, S Ito – 1 April 1996 – To investigate whether a single inflammatory cytokine could stimulate nitric oxide formation in the absence of other cytokines or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), NO was measured by the redox chemiluminescence method in primary cultured rat hepatocytes and in rat Kupffer cells.

Transforming growth factor β1‐induced cell death in preneoplastic foci of rat liver and sensitization by the antiestrogen tamoxifen

L Mullauer, B Grasl‐Kraupp, W Bursch, R Schulte‐Hermann – 1 April 1996 – Previous studies have shown 5‐ to 10‐fold higher rates of apoptosis in prestages of liver cancer (putative preneoplastic cell foci [PPF]) than in unaltered liver; fasting or withdrawal of tumor promoters enhanced apoptosis even further. We studied whether transforming growth factor β1 (TGF‐β1), an inducer of apoptosis in normal liver, might be involved in induction of apoptosis in PPF.

n‐Butyrate induces plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 messenger RNA in cultured Hep G2 cells

T J Smith, J J Piscatelli, V Andersen, H Wang, P Lance – 1 April 1996 – n‐Butyrate, a short‐chain aliphatic carboxylic acid with pleiotropic actions, is present at high concentrations in the portal circulation and thus may play an important role in the regulation of specific gene expression in the mammalian liver. We report here that n‐butyrate can increase substantially the level of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI‐1) messenger RNA (mRNA) in Hep G2 cells, up to eightfold above control cultures.

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