• Applied Microscopy
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.197-215
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• 1997

A morphologic study on the effect of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) on experimental hepatocarcinogenesis induced by 3'-methyl-4-dimethyl aminoazobenzene (3'-MeDAB) was investigated. A total of 110 Sprague-Dowley male rats weighting about 200 g each were used for the experiment, and divided into 4 groups; the 3'-MeDAB, BHT, 3'-MeDAB/BHT treated group, and the control group. Four to eight rats of each group were sacrified on the 4th, 8th, 14th and 16th experimental weeks, with continuous pelletized feeding containing 0.09% 3'-MeDAB and 0.5% BHT. The liver was examined by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The results were as follows; Electron microscopically, the fine structure of the hepatocytes remained consistently abnormal up to 16 weeks after the 3'-MeDAB treatment. There was no significant difference in the groups observed earlier than in the ones observed later. Many subcellular changes were observed : nuclear change, decreased glycogen, mitochondrial abnormalities, disaggregated rough endoplasmic reticulum, marked proliferation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum, dilatation and distortion of bile canaliculi, increased lysosomes, apoptotic bodies, migration of bile ductule cell. In the BHT treated group, the ultrastructural changes of hepatocytes were not significant, except for the lipid droplets and proliferated smooth endoplasmic reticulum among hepatocytes depending on the experimental duration. The various subcellular changes of 3'-MeDAB/BHT treated groups were simillar to those of the 3'-MeDAB treated group, but the degree of changes in the 3'-MeDAB/ BHT treated group decreased compared with those of the 3'-MeDAB treated group. These results suggest that dietary butylated hydroxytoluene has a protective/inhibitory effect on the hepatocarcinogenesis induced by 3'-methyl-4-dimethyl -aminoazobenzene.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.23 no.2 s.54
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• pp.105-114
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• 1999

To investigate the effects of korean ginseng on the expression of transferrin receptor (TfR) in the liver cell membrane, we had carried out the experiments of $[^{3}H]thymidine$ uptake, $^{125}I-transferrin$ binding, and TfR mRNA expression in the liver after partial hepatectomy of normal and 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoa-zobenzene (3'-Me-DAB) treated rat with or without treatment of korean gingseng. $[^3H]thymidine$ uptake was not changed in the liver of 3'-Me-DAB or ginseng treated rat compared to that of control rat, but increased in that of partial hepatectomy of normal or 3'-Me-DAB treated rat. And this increased $[^{3}H]thymidine$ uptake was lowered slightly by the treatment of ginseng. Transferrin binding sites in the liver plasma membrane of ginseng treated rat with or without partial hepatectomy were similar, but increased in that of 3'-Me-DAB treated rat with or without partial hepatectomy compared to those of each control rat and these increased binding sites were reduced by ginseng treatment. Transferrin binding affinity (l/kd) was not changed by ginseng treatment, but tended to decrease in the liver of 3'-Me-DAB treated rat or in those after partial hepatectomy of all groups and reverse by ginseng treatment in 3'-Me-DAB treated rat. The expression of TfR mRNA was increased in the liver of 3'-Me-DAB treated rat with partial hepatectomy (peak at 24 hours), but lowered by ginseng treatment in this rat. From these results, it is suggested that korean ginseng has no effect on the increased expression of TfR with decreased affinity in the cell membrane of regenerated liver after partial hepatectomy of rat, but could inhibt that of 3'-Me-DAB treated rat through the regulation of DNA synthesis or TfR mRNA in partial.