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Plasma kallikrein clearance by the liver of chronic carbon tetrachloride‐treated rats
Author(s) -
TOLEDO CARLOS F.,
KOUYOUMDJIAN MARIA,
LANZONI VALÉRIA P.,
BORGES DURVAL R.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1995.tb01072.x
Subject(s) - carbon tetrachloride , medicine , cirrhosis , albumin , clearance rate , ascites , endocrinology , liver function , chemistry , organic chemistry
We have previously reported that the endocytosis of rat plasma kallikrein (RPK) by hepatocytes is a calcium‐independent and beta‐galactoside‐dependent mechanism. We now report the clearance of RPK by the liver of four groups of rats: normal, inflamed (48 h ex‐turpentine) and two groups chronically treated with CCl 4 (52 mg/kg per week, intragastrically, for 9‐12 weeks). Each liver was isolated, exsanguinated and perfused at 37°C with 30 mL of BSA‐Krebs‐Henseleit‐bicarbonate medium containing 10 nmol/L RPK. Although all rats received the same mild CCl 4 treatment, the liver histology showed that they evolved either to severe hepatitis (serum alanine aminotransferase [ALT] 4852 ± 885 U/L, parenchymatous necrosis in the perivenous region) or to compensated cirrhosis (serum ALT 209 ± 42 U/L, vigorous fibrous encircling regeneration nodules); neither jaundice nor ascites was noted. The results show that serum albumin was not altered among the groups and that: the acute‐phase response by itself (inflamed group) increased RPK clearance rate (3.01 ± 0.59 mL/min) as compared with the normal group (1.85 ± 0.14 mL/min); the CCl 4 treatment, although induced an acute‐phase response, decreased ( P < 0.01) RPK clearance rates (0.80 ± 0.11 mL/min hepatitis group and 0.98 ± 0.10 mL/min cirrhosis group). These findings suggest that the hepatic clearance rate of plasma kallikrein is an early indicator of liver injury.