BACKGROUND AIMS Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) isolated from bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue and umbilical cord blood can be induced to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells. MSC can also be isolated from umbilical cord Wharton's jelly (UC MSC), which can be easily obtained. UC MSC are more primitive MSC than those isolated from other tissue sources and do not express the major histocompat...

To understand the mechanisms by which ethanol inhibits hepatocyte proliferation, we studied the effects of ethanol on p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in normal and regenerating rat liver. Treatment of rat hepatocytes with 100 mM ethanol in vitro for 16 h prolonged the activation of p42/44 MAPK and ...

While novel picornaviruses are being discovered in rodents, their host range and pathogenicity are largely unknown. We identified two novel picornaviruses, rosavirus B from the street rat, Norway rat, and rosavirus C from five different wild rat species (chestnut spiny rat, greater bandicoot rat, Indochinese forest rat, roof rat and Coxing's white-bellied rat) in China. Analysis of 13 complete ...

Human 125I-plasminogen bound readily to rat hepatocytes in primary culture at 4 degrees C and at 37 degrees C. Binding was inhibited by lysine and reversed by lysine, epsilon-aminocaproic acid, or nonradiolabeled plasminogen. The Kd for binding of 125I-plasminogen to hepatocytes was 0.59 +/- 0.16 mumol/L, as determined from the saturation isotherm by nonlinear regression (r2 = 0.99) and the Sca...

The rat hepatocyte cell adhesion molecule cell-CAM105 has recently been shown to be composed of at least two isoforms. Expression of the two isoforms in different tissues and during fetal liver development in rats was studied by RNase protection using a probe which could specifically and simultaneously detect both isoforms. This probe revealed protected fragments of expected lengths for the L-f...

UNLABELLED We hypothesized that somatostatin-14 (SS-14) might inhibit insulin-stimulated hepatic growth. Rat hepatocytes were isolated by a two-step collagenase perfusion technique and cultured on Matrigel. Differentiated hepatocyte function was documented by albumin synthesis. Hepatocytes were incubated with insulin in the presence or absence of SS-14. Hepatocyte proliferation was assessed by ...

Azelaic acid and its esters, the azelates, occur naturally in organisms ranging from plants to humans. We have shown that diethyl azelate (DEA) exhibits a broad range of immunomodulatory activities vitro vivo, mitigates insulin resistance. To further investigate therapeutic utility DEA, we evaluated mutagenicity Salmonella typhimurium strains, examined metabolism DEA rat, dog, monkey human prim...

objectives in order to provide a pharmacological profile for some newly synthesized dihydropyridines, we investigated their effects on the isolated rat colon segments and the isolated rat atrium contractility. the tested compounds include alkyl ester analogues of nifedipine, in which the ortho-nitrophenyl group at position 4 is replaced by 2-alkylthio-1-benzyl-5-imidazolyl substituent, and nife...

We have previously shown that changes in estrogen-hepatocyte interaction occur during liver regeneration. Following 70% hepatectomy, estrogen levels in the blood were elevated, the number of estrogen receptors in the liver was increased and there was an active translocation of estrogen receptors from the cytosol to the nucleus. The injection of tamoxifen, an estrogen antagonist, inhibits hepato...

Glucagon stimulates the vesicle trafficking of aquaporin-8 (AQP8) water channels to the rat hepatocyte canalicular membranes, a process thought to be relevant to glucagon-induced bile secretion. In this study, we investigated whether glucagon is able to modulate the gene expression of hepatocyte AQP8. Glucagon was administered to rats at 0.2 mg/100 g body wt ip in 2, 3, or 6 equally spaced dose...