Cholestasis is associated with systemic accumulation of bile salts and with deficiency of bile in the intestinal lumen. During the past years bile salts have been identified as signaling molecules that regulate lipid, glucose, and energy metabolism. Bile salts have also been shown to activate signaling routes leading to proliferation, apoptosis, or differentiation. It is unclear, however, wheth...

Bile secretion is regulated by different signaling transduction pathways including protein kinase C (PKC). However, the role of different PKC isoforms for bile formation is still controversial. This study investigates the effects of PKC isoform selective activators and inhibitors on PKC translocation, bile secretion, bile acid uptake, and subcellular transporter localization in rat liver, isola...

The rate and degree of subsensitivity development to morphine (mu-opioid receptor, preferred, but not selective agonist) and U50488H (highly selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist) were assessed in vitro on guinea pig ileum (GPI) of cholestatic animals 2, 5, and 7 days after bile duct ligation. In addition to this phenomenon of morphine, the effects of U50488H and SNC 80 (highly selective delt...

Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC), a key event in liver fibrosis, is caused by diminished adipogenic transcription. This study investigated whether Wnt signaling contributes to "antiadipogenic" activation of HSC and liver fibrogenesis. Culture-activated HSC from normal rats and HSC from cholestatic rat livers were examined for expression of Wnt, Frizzled (Fz) receptors, and coreceptors...

Carbohydrate metabolism of rats with obstructive jaundice caused by bile duct ligation was studied by intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) and by liver perfusion. The altered levels of carbohydrate-metabolizing enzyme were examined in relation to the glucose metabolism of the cholestatic rats. In the IVGTT, the rate of fractional glucose removal was increased with increases in plasma insu...