Temporal changes in tissue repair permit survival of diet-restricted rats from an acute lethal dose of thioacetamide.

Although, diet restriction (DR) has been shown to substantially increase longevity while reducing or delaying the onset of age-related diseases, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of DR on acute toxic outcomes. An earlier study (S. K. Ramaiah et al., 1998, Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 150, 12-21) revealed that a 35% DR compared to ad libitum (AL) feeding leads to a substantial increase in liver injury of thioacetamide (TA) at a low dose (50 mg/kg, i.p.). Higher liver injury was accompanied by enhanced survival. A prompt and enhanced tissue repair response in DR rats at the low dose (sixfold higher liver injury) occurred, whereas at equitoxic doses (50 mg/kg in DR and 600 mg/kg in AL rats) tissue repair in AL rats was substantially diminished and delayed. The extent of liver injury did not appear to be closely related to the extent of stimulated tissue repair response. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the time course (0-120 h) of liver injury and liver tissue repair at the high dose (600 mg TA/kg, i.p., lethal in AL rats) in AL and DR rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (225-275 g) were 35% diet restricted compared to their AL cohorts for 21 days and on day 22 they received a single dose of TA (600 mg/kg, i.p.). Liver injury was assessed by plasma ALT and by histopathological examination of liver sections. Tissue repair was assessed by [3H]thymidine incorporation into hepatonuclear DNA and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunohistochemistry during 0-120 h after TA injection. In AL-fed rats hepatic necrosis was evident at 12 h, peaked at 60 h, and persisted thereafter until mortality (3 to 6 days). Peak liver injury was approximately twofold higher in DR rats compared to that seen in AL rats. Hepatic necrosis was evident at 36 h, peaked at 48 h, persisted until 96 h, and returned to normal by 120 h. Light microscopy of liver sections revealed progression of hepatic injury in AL rats whereas injury regressed completely leading to recovery of DR rats by 120 h. Progression of injury led to 90% mortality in AL rats vs 30% mortality in DR group. In the surviving AL rats, S-phase DNA synthesis was evident at 60 h, peaked at 72 h, and declined to base level by 120 h, whereas in DR rats S-phase DNA synthesis was evident at 36 h and was consistently higher until 96 h reaching control levels by 120 h. PCNA studies showed a corresponding increase in cells in S and M phase in the AL and DR groups. DR resulted in abolition of the delay in tissue repair associated with the lethal dose of TA in ad libitum rats. Temporal changes and higher tissue repair response in DR rats (earlier and prolonged) are the conduits that allow a significant number of diet restricted rats to escape lethal consequence.

Higher neutrophil infiltration mediated by osteopontin is a likely contributing factor to the increased susceptibility of females to alcoholic liver disease.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a major public health problem in the United States and women are known to be more susceptible to ALD. However, the precise mechanism for increased susceptibility of females to ALD is not completely understood. The present study is based on the hypothesis that induction of osteopontin (OPN), a matricellular protein, is the likely contributing factor for higher neutrophil recruitment in females during alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). ASH was induced in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats by feeding them a Lieber-DeCarli diet containing ethanol (EtOH) for 6 weeks, followed by a single injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg, ip). Liver injury, measured by plasma transaminase elevations and confirmed by haematoxylin and eosin-stained liver sections, revealed approximately 25-fold higher liver injury in the female ASH model compared with the males. Although steatosis, necrosis, and neutrophil infiltration were evident in both male and female rats, hepatic neutrophilic necrotic foci were noted as early as 2 h after LPS injection in the EtOH-treated female rats. Hepatic neutrophil infiltration correlated with higher expression of cleaved (cOPN) and uncleaved OPN in the EtOH + LPS-treated female rats compared with the males. OPN secretion was localized predominantly in the biliary epithelium and females had significantly higher OPN mRNA than their male counterparts in the ASH model. The ability of OPN to attract neutrophils was further confirmed in vivo, in a peritonitis rat model, and by neutralizing OPN (nOPN) antibody experiments. Hepatic neutrophil infiltration was largely inhibited ( approximately 50%) by nOPN antibody. Flow cytometry experiments revealed OPN-mediated up-regulation of the CD11b neutrophil adhesion molecule. In conclusion, these data suggest that higher hepatic expression of OPN is the likely reason for higher and early hepatic neutrophil infiltration making females more susceptible to ALD during ASH.

Cytochrome P4502E1 induction increases thioacetamide liver injury in diet-restricted rats.

Earlier studies have shown highly exaggerated mechanism-based liver injury of thioacetamide (TA) in rats following moderate diet restriction (DR) and in diabetes. The objective of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of higher liver injury of TA in DR rats. Since both DR and diabetes induce CYP2E1, we hypothesized that hepatic CYP2E1 plays a major role in the bioactivation-based liver injury of TA. When male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-275 g) were maintained on diet restriction (DR, 35% of ad libitum fed rats, 21 days) the total hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 (CYP450) was increased 2-fold along with a 4.6-fold increase in CYP2E1 protein, which corresponded with a 3-fold increase in CYP2E1 activity as measured by chlorzoxazone hydroxylation. To further test the involvement of CYP2E1, 24 and 18 h after pretreatment with pyridine (PYR) and isoniazid (INZ), specific inducers of CYP2E1, male Sprague-Dawley rats received a single administration of 50 mg of TA/kg (i.p.). TA liver injury was >2.5- and >3-fold higher at 24 h in PYR + TA and INZ + TA groups, respectively, compared with the rats receiving TA alone. Pyridine pretreatment resulted in significantly increased total CYP450 content accompanied by a 2.2-fold increase in CYP2E1 protein and 2-fold increase in enzyme activity concordant with increased liver injury of TA, suggesting mechanism-based bioactivation of TA by CYP2E1. Hepatic injury of TA in DR rats pretreated with diallyl sulfide (DAS), a well known irreversible in vivo inhibitor of CYP2E1, was significantly decreased (60%) at 24 h. CCl(4) (4 ml/kg i.p.), a known substrate of CYP2E1, caused lower liver injury and higher animal survival confirming inhibition of CYP2E1 by DAS pretreatment. The role of flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) in TA bioactivation implicated by previous in vitro studies, and consequent increased TA-induced liver injury in DR rats was tested in vivo with a relatively selective inhibitor of FMO, indole-3-carbinol, and then treated with 50 mg of TA/kg. FMO activity and alanine aminotransferase levels measured at different time points revealed that TA liver injury was not decreased although FMO activity was significantly decreased, suggesting that hepatic FMO is unlikely to bioactivate TA. These findings suggest induction of CYP2E1 as the primary mechanism of increased bioactivation-based liver injury of TA in DR rats.

Toxicant-inflicted injury and stimulated tissue repair are opposing toxicodynamic forces in predictive toxicology.

These studies were designed to investigate the dose response for liver injury and tissue repair induced by exposure to four structurally and mechanistically dissimilar hepatotoxicants, individually and as mixtures. The objective was to illuminate the impact of the extent and timeliness of tissue repair on the ultimate outcome of toxicity. Dose-response relationships for trichloroethylene (TCE), allyl alcohol (AA), thioacetamide (TA), and chloroform alone or as mixtures were studied. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200-250 g) received a single intraperitoneal injection of individual toxicants as well as mixtures of these toxicants. Liver injury was monitored by plasma enzyme (ALT and SDH) levels and histopathology. Tissue regeneration was measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation into hepatic nuclear DNA. Individually, TCE, TA, and AA administration, over a 10- to 12-fold dose range, revealed a dose-related increase in injury as well as tissue repair up to a threshold dose. Beyond this threshold, tissue repair was delayed and attenuated, and liver injury progressed. Mixtures of the four chemicals at the higher doses used in individual dose-response studies resulted in 100% mortality. Hence, mixtures at the lower two doses were selected for further study. Additional lower doses were also included to better understand the dose-response relationship of mixtures. Results of these studies support the observations of individual chemicals. Higher and sustained repair was observed at low dose levels. These studies show that the extent of injury at early time points correlates well with the maximal stimulation of the opposing response of tissue repair. It appears that the toxicity of the mixture employed in these studies is roughly additive and correlates well with tissue repair response. These initial studies suggest that a biologically based mathematical model can be constructed and tested to extrapolate the outcome of toxicity from a given dose of individual compounds as well as their mixtures, where the responses measured are injury on the one hand and compensatory tissue repair on the other.

Diet restriction enhances compensatory liver tissue repair and survival following administration of lethal dose of thioacetamide.

Diet restriction is known to prevent a plethora of age-associated diseases including cancer. However, the effects of diet restriction on noncancer end points are not known. The objective of this study was to investigate whether diet restriction protects against hepatotoxicity of thioacetamide (TA), and if so, to investigate the underlying mechanism. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-275 g) were maintained on 65% of their ad libitum (AL) food consumption for a period of 3 weeks and then treated with a single low dose of 50 mg TA/kg i.p.. Plasma enzymes (ALT and SDH), hepatic glycogen levels, and 3H-thymidine incorporation into hepatocellular nuclear DNA were measured during a time course (0-120 h) after TA administration. Liver sections were examined for histopathology, and cell-cycle progression was assessed by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunohistochemistry. In AL rats hepatic necrosis was evident at 12 h, peaked at 36 h, persisted up to 72 h, and was resolved by 96 h. In the diet-restricted (DR) group hepatic necrosis was observed at 12 h, peaked at 24 h, persisted till 72 h, and was resolved by 96 h. Maximal injury indicated by enzyme elevation occurred in DR rats and was approximately sixfold greater than that observed in the AL group. Histopathological examination of the liver sections revealed liver injury concordant with plasma enzyme elevations. There was a higher and sustained S-phase synthesis in the DR rats compared to AL group. S-phase stimulation was evident at 36 h, peaked at 48 h, and persisted until 96 h in the DR rats, whereas in the AL rats peak S-phase stimulation occurred at 36 h and subsided by 72 h. PCNA studies revealed a corresponding stimulation of cell-cycle progression indicating highly stimulated compensatory tissue repair. The 14-day lethality experiments (600 mg TA/kg i.p.) indicated 70% survival in the DR rats compared to 10% survival in the AL group. Although diet restriction increases hepatotoxic injury of TA, it protects from the lethal outcome by enhanced liver tissue repair. Comparison of liver injury and tissue repair employing an equitoxic dose (600 mg TA/kg in AL rats yields similar liver injury as observed with 50 mg TA/kg in DR rats) revealed that in spite of near equal injury up to 36 h, tissue repair response in DR rats is much higher. The compensatory tissue repair allows the DR rats to escape death in contrast to much lower compensation in AL rats leading to progression of liver injury culminating in death.