c-raf is a serine-threonine kinase and a downstream effector of ras signaling. This kinase plays an essential role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In the past, we reported induction of c-raf gene expression in rat liver cancer on treatment with a mixture of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists. This prompted our interest in investigating the role of AhR in the transcr...

Objective(s) This study aimed to investigate and to compare the effects of nifedipine and amlodipine, dihydropyridine (DHP) calcium channel blockers (CCBs) on perfusion pressure of isolated perfused rat kidney. Materials and Methods Following the establishment of renal perfusion with a constant baseline pressure of 85-95 mmHg, the renal vasculature was constricted by phenylephrine (PE) injec...

Monocrotaline (MCT) is a pyrrolizidine alkaloid present in plants of the Crotalaria species that causes cytotoxicity and genotoxicity, including hepatotoxicity in animals and humans. It is metabolized by cytochrome P-450 in the liver to the alkylating agent dehydromonocrotaline (DHM). In previous studies using isolated rat liver mitochondria, we observed that DHM, but not MCT, inhibited the act...

Genetic constructs with promoters fused to reporter genes for simultaneous monitoring of cellular events have been the focus of attention in recent years. Adenoviral vectors, which have distinctive characteristics, have been used to monitor the differentiation of stem cells in vitro. In the present study, a modified adenoviral vector was constructed, containing a mouse, rat, and human general a...

PURPOSE Retrorsine selectively inhibits hepatocyte proliferation and following liver injury evokes small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells. The aim of this study is to find out whether endogenous extrahepatic cells contribute to small hepatocyte-like progenitor cells after retrorsine treatment. METHODS Wild-type Lewis rat liver exposed to retrorsine was transplanted into GFP transgenic Lewis r...

Acetaminophen (N-acetyl para amino phenol, APAP) is a widely used antipyretic and analgesic drug responsible for various drug-induced liver injuries. This study evaluated APAP-induced toxicity in isolated rat hepatocytes alongside the protective effects of silafibrate and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). Hepatocytes were isolated from male Sprague-Dawley rats by collagenase enzyme perfusion via the por...

Using isolated, in situ, single-pass perfused rat livers, incubations of freshly isolated hepatocytes, and sinusoidal membrane-enriched vesicles, we and others have shown the saturability of transport (efflux) of hepatic glutathione (GSH). These observations have implicated a carrier mechanism. Our present studies were designed to provide further evidence in support of a carrier mechanism for h...

background: wharton’s jelly is an unlimited source of stem cells that can be used in cell therapy and tissue engineering without any ethical concern. it has been revealed the cell-free extract could be effective to induce cell differentiation. the objective of this study was to induce wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (mscs) into hepatocyte-like cells by premeabilization of the cel...

The metabolism of the suspected carcinogen trichloroethylene (TCE) was studied in in vitro systems involving purified rat liver cytochrome P-450; rat, human, and mouse liver microsomes; rat lung microsomes; and isolated rat and mouse hepatocytes. The studies support the view that metabolism of TCE proceeds through formation of a complex with oxygenated cytochrome P-450 which, by rearrangement, ...