Direct evidence that hepatocyte growth factor is a hepatotrophic factor for liver regeneration and has a potent antihepatitis effect in vivo

✍ Scribed by Yoshihide Ishiki; Hiroo Ohnishi; Yasutoshi Muto; Kunio Matsumoto; Toshikazu Nakamura

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 987 KB
• Volume: 16
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840160520

✦ Synopsis

Hepatocyte growth factor, a potent mitogen for mature hepatocytes in vitro, seems to function as a hepatotrophic factor for liver regeneration. We examined the mitogenic effect of hepatocyte growth factor on mouse liver in vivo. The labeling i n k of hepatocytes was markedly increased when recombinant human hepatocyte growth factor was isjected intravenously into mice subjected to 30% hepatectomy (control, 1.7% f 0.1%; 1 pg hepatocyte growth factor, 6.4% f 1.3%; 5 pg hepatocyte growth factor, 18.3% f 0.2%) and into mice administered carbon tetrachloride (control, 12.7% 2 1.0%; 1 pg hepatocyte growth factor, 26.3% f 2.8%) or a-naphthylieothiocganate (control, 0.4% & 0.1%; 1 pg hepatocyte growth factor, 3.8% & 1.1%; 5 pg hepatocyte growth factor, 14.2% f 2.0%). In addition, weights of the remnant livers in mice given hepatocyte growth factor 60 hr after 30% hepatectomy were sisnificantly greater than those of untreated control mice (control, 0.B3 f 0.04 gm; 5 pg hepatocyte growth factor, 1.06 f 0.04 gm). Hepatocyte growth factor prevented any marked increase in the serum levels of liver epzgmee and bilirubin when it was administered to mi-also treated with a-naphthylisothiocyanate (controk ALT, 394 f 278 IUD,; lactate dehydrogenase, 2,644 f 1,109 lU& bilirubin, 9.6 f 2.6 me/dl; and 5 pg hepatocyte growth factor: ALT, 136 f 7 . 9 l U & lactate dehydmgenaae, 1,672 f 626 lU& bilirubin, 1 . 0 -t 0 . 8 mgldl). Our &dings show that intravenously isjected hepatocyte growth factor stimulates the growth of herpatocytea in mouse liver and protects the i n t e g r i e of hepatocytes in viuo against hepatitis c a d by hepatotoxin. Thus hepatocyte growth factor may prove to be useful as a treatment for liver dieemma as it is a hepatotrophic factor with a potent antihepatitis effect.