BACKGROUND Maternal obesity may program the fetus and increase the susceptibility of the offspring to adult diseases. Metformin crosses the placenta and has been associated with decreased inflammation and reversal of fatty liver in obese leptin-deficient mice. We investigated the effects of metformin on maternal and fetal lipid metabolism and hepatic inflammation using a rat model of diet-induc...

Engineered liver systems come in a variety of platform models, from 2-dimensional cocultures of primary human hepatocytes and stem cell-derived progeny, to 3-dimensional organoids and humanized mice. Because of the species-specificity of many human hepatropic pathogens, these engineered systems have been essential tools for biologic discovery and therapeutic agent development in the context of ...

Plasma VLDL and LDL cholesterol were markedly elevated (>40-fold) in high-responding opossums, but moderately elevated (6-fold) in low-responding opossums after they had consumed a high-cholesterol and high-fat diet for 24 wk. In both high- and low-responding opossums, plasma triglycerides were slightly elevated, threefold and twofold, respectively. Dietary challenge also induced fatty livers i...

CCl(4) cirrhotic rat liver exhibits a hyperresponse to the alpha(1)-adrenergic agonist methoxamine (Mtx) that is associated with enhanced thromboxane A(2) (TXA(2)) production and is abrogated by indomethacin. To further elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in the hyperresponse to vasoconstrictors, portal perfusion pressure dose-response curves to Mtx were performed in CCl(4) cirrhotic ra...

The effects of glucagon and epinephrine on gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis in liver and of catecholamines and adrenocorticotrophic hormone on lipolysis in adipose tissue were examined in normal and adrenalectomized rats. Glucagon or epinephrine stimulation of glucose synthesis from lactate was markedly reduced in isolated perfused livers from fasted, adrenal-deficient rats. Administration in...

In rabbit livers, it is not well known which segments of the hepatic vasculature are predominantly contracted by various vasoconstrictors. We determined effects of histamine, norepinephrine, and KCl on hepatic vascular resistance distribution in isolated rabbit livers perfused via the portal vein with 5% albumin-Krebs solution at a constant flow rate. Hepatic capillary pressure was measured by ...

Previous in vivo studies have shown that the presystemic clearance of p.o.-administered levo-isomer of propranolol is inhibited in rats with uranyl nitrate-induced acute renal failure. A series of steady-state single-pass rat liver perfusion studies were performed to explore the probable mechanism of the observed metabolic inhibition. When livers from normal rats were perfused with blood perfus...

The definitive treatment for end stage liver disease remains a liver transplant and hence livers are needed for these patients along with cases of acute fulminant liver failure. Hence livers are a scarce and highly valuable commodity in the current time. By extending the pool of donors to include the elderly livers, it allows for increased availability of donors and reduces the mortality that i...

Skates (Raja rhina) have recently become a small commercial fishery in Alaska and along the western United States coast. Most of the skate byproduct is discarded or made into meal; therefore, there is opportunity to enhance the utilization for skate byproducts. The objective of this research project was to chemically characterize longnose skate livers. Livers from five long nose skates, caught ...