Nonalcoholic steatohepatitic (NASH) mice are protected from higher hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen upon induction of PPARa with clofibrate

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2008

Abstract

The objective was to investigate if the hepatotoxic sensitivity in nonalcoholic steatohepatitic mice to acetaminophen (APAP) is due to downregulation of nuclear receptor PPARa via lower cell division and tissue repair. Male Swiss Webster mice fed methionine and choline deficient diet for 31 days exhibited NASH. On the 32nd day, a marginally toxic dose of APAP (360 mg/kg, ip) yielded 70% mortality in steatohepatitic mice, while all non steatohepatitic mice receiving the same dose survived. 14C-APAP covalent binding, CYP2E1 protein, and enzyme activity did not differ from the controls, obviating increased APAP bioactivation as the cause of amplified APAP hepatotoxicity. Liver injury progressed only in steatohepatitic livers between 6 and 24 h. Cell division and tissue repair assessed by 3H-thymidine incorporation and PCNA were inhibited only in the steatohepatitic mice given APAP suggesting that higher sensitivity of NASH liver to APAP-induced hepatotoxicity was due to lower tissue repair. The hypothesis that impeded liver tissue repair in steatohepatitic mice was due to downregulation of PPARa was tested. PPARa was downregulated in NASH. To investigate whether downregulation of PPARa in NASH is the critical mechanism of compromised liver tissue repair, PPARa was induced in steatohepatitic mice with clofibrate (250 mg/kg for 3 days, ip) before injecting APAP. All clofibrate pretreated steatohepatitic mice receiving APAP exhibited lower liver injury, which did not progress and the mice survived. The protection was not due to lower bioactivation of APAP but due to higher liver tissue repair. These findings suggest that inadequate PPARa expression in steatohepatitic mice sensitizes them to APAP hepatotoxicity. © 2008.

Publication Title

Toxicology and applied pharmacology

Volume

230

Issue

3

First Page

327

Last Page

337

Comments

This article was published in Toxicology and applied pharmacology, Volume 230, Issue 3, Pages 327-337.

The published version is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2008.02.031.

Copyright © 2008 Scopus.

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