• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.92-99
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• 1990

Effects of the methanol extract of Bupleuri Radix on primary cultured chicken embryonic brain cells, dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and rat hepatocytes were studied. The methanol extract of Bupleuri Radix at the concentration ranging from $10{\;}{\mu}g/ml\;to\;100{\;}{\mu}g/ml$ significantly recovered the cytotoxicity of rat hepatocytes induced by the treatment of galactosamine; at the concentration of $100\;{\mu}g/ml$, values of GOT and GPT in the culture medium were reduced by the 60% and 75%, respectively of those in the absence of the methanol extract of Bupleuri Radix. The addition of the methanol extract of Bupleuri Radix. into chicken embryonic brain cells which were cultured with a deficient medium significantly increased the number of cells promoting the neurite outgrowth. However, the methanol extract of Bupleuri Radix showed no effect on the activities of PDHC and acetylcholinesterase in primary cultured brain cells.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.64-69
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• 2003

To analyze vasopressin-induced $Ca^{2+}$ increase in liver cells, rat hepatocytes were isolated and attached to collagen-coated cover slips. Using fura-2, a $Ca^{2+}$-sensing dye, changes in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration by vasopressin were monitored. Results in this communication suggested that vasopressin-induced $Ca^{2+}$ increase were composed of both $Ca^{2+}$ release from internal $Ca^{2+}$ stores and influx from the plasma membrane. The $Ca^{2+}$ influx consisted of two distinguishable components. One was dependent on the presence of vasopressin and the other was not. SK＆F96365 blocked vasopressin-induced $Ca^{2+}$ influx in a dose-dependent manner. Vasopressin-induced $Ca^{2+}$ release from internal stores diminished in a primary culture of hepatocytes according to the culture time. However, changes in vasopressin-induced $Ca^{2+}$ influx across the plasma membrane differed from changes in the $Ca^{2+}$ release from internal stores, suggesting two separate signalings from receptor activation to internal stores and to the plasma membrane.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.399-406
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• 1996

Thioacetamide is a non-genotoxic carcinogen, a protein modifying agent. It causes nucleolar hypertrophy in short term treatment. In the present work, thioacetamide treated hepatocytes were observed in vivo and in vitro conditions. After 7 day treatment of rat liver with thioacetamide, the hepatocyte nucleoli were enlarged and their signalling molecules such as B23 and p38 MAPK were increased. When these hepatocytes were released by collagenases and were grown under the conditions of gene therapy grade tissue culture system, the enlarged nucleoli were further enlarged. The B23 content was again increased under in vitro conditions. From these experiments, it is clear that the hepatocytes possess approximately 100 fold flexibility of nucleolar capacity. It is suggested that thioacetamide enhances the ribosome genesis and exaggerates the nucleologenesis ability.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 1992

We studied to screen medicinal plants having hepatoprotective activity with the primary cultured rat hepatocytes intoxicated with carbon tetrachloride cytotoxicity. The lowest concentration and treatment time of carbon tetrachloride giving the greatest intoxication to the primary cultured hepatocytes were observed in 10mM and 60 minutes, respectively. GTP and GOT activity of culture broth of the primary cultured rat hepatocytes intoxicated by $CCl_4$ cytotoxicity at this condition were increased 135.9% and 178.3% compared with that of the primaries cultured hepatocytes not treated with $CCl_4$, respectively. This increased GPT activity was inhibited by glycyrrizin, which was known to have hepatoprotective activity, and the inhibition activity was dependent on the concentration of glycyrrhizin. Forty species among the extracts obtained from 117 species of medicinal plants were shown to have the hepatoprotective activity. Among these 40 species, Prunus persica, Scutellaria baicalensis, Astragalus membranaceus, Tribulus terrestris, Caragana chamlagu, Acanthopanax sessiliflorum and Achyranthes japonica were indicated a lower GPT activity than that of Glycyrrhiza uralensis containing glycyrrhizin and GPT activity of these were indicated 75.5%, 70.0%, 59.0%, 77.5%, 60.0%, 75.0% and 79.0%, respectively.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 1998

Effect of extracellular calcium in vitellogenin (VTG) production in response to estradiol-17 $\beta$ $(E_2,\;2\times10^{-6}M)$ was examined in primary hepatocyte culture of rainbow trout, Onchorhynchus mykiss. Total calcium in estrogenized sera significantly increased, compared with the control, while diffusible calcium was insignificant. However, diffusible calcium in the incubation medium with $E_2$ was significantly reduced, compared with the control. The uptake of extracellular calcium by cultured hepatocytes signifIcantly increased 90 min after $E_2$ addition. Moreover, the accumulation of intracellular calcium increased in the cultures with $E_2$, regardless of the calcium concentrations in the incubation media. In addition, $E_2-primed $ VTG production was significantly decreased by withdrawal of E_2$ from the incubation medium. Moreover, VTG production by $E_2-primed$ hepatocytes was reduced by removing calcium from the incubation medium with or without $E_2$. These results suggest that the entry of extracellular calcium into the cytoplasm is an important step for VTG production in primary hepatocyte cultures in rainbow trout.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.557-564
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• 1998

Vitellogenin (VTG) induction in response estradiol-17${\beta}$ ($E_2$) were electrophoretically examined in primary hepatocyte cultures in rainbow trout. The hepatocytes were maintained as monolayers on positively charged dishes for up to 7 days. The viability of hepatocytes on Day 7 in cultures decreased about 20.7% and 23.6% with and without $E_2$, respecitively. The amount of DNA per dish also decreased to 13.7% and 14.0% with and without $E_2$, respectively. There were no differences in viability and DNA content between the control and $E_2$-treated culture. Moreover, the rate of VTG to total protein concentrations reached the maxium level at the addition of $10^{-6}$ M E2, to the incubation medium. However, the higher concentration of $10^{-5}$ M $E_2$ rater depressed the level.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2000

The ethanol extract of Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS), the Korean Lacquer tree, was subsequentely isolated and fractioned into two portions using distilled water (SED) and 99% ethanol (SEE) as elution buffers through silica gel column (4x28 em, 22 $\AA$. 28~200 mesh). To know the antioxidative effect of the RVS extracts, primary hepatocytes were exposed to hydroxyl radical generated by 20 mU/$m\ell$ glucose oxidase with SED or SEE for 4 hr. The addition of 100$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ SED in culture medium showed good protection from glucose oxidase (GO)-mediated cytotoxicity of hepatocytes, showing approximately equivalent to control. When the hepatocytes were incubated with 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ SED or SEE only for 4 hr. the activities of cell-associated superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were elevated up to 1.22 fold and 1.4 fold, respectively, compared to control. Further increase, 1.88fold in SOD activity or 1.64fold in catalase activity, was also observed when the hepatocytes were incubated with 100 units/$m\ell$ of commercial SOD or catalase for 4 hr. Moreover. the glucose oxidase-mediated cytotoxicity in cultured hepatocytes was generally reduced upon addition of lysate obtained from SED or SEE-stimulated hepatocytes in a dose-dependent manner. From these results, we suggest that, in cultured hepatocytes, RVS ethanol extract can efficiently reduce cytotoxicity induced by glucose oxidase and may increase the activity of cell-associated SOD and/or catalase, thereby preventing and/or scavenging superoxides and hydroxyl radicals in this experiment.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.278-283
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• 1992

Rat hepatocytes were isolated and cultured on the petri dishes treated with various coating materials. Untreated or collagen coated petri dish gave monolayer culture of hepatocyte and proteoglycan, dermatan sulfate, and BSA treated petri dish gave hemispheroid. The untreated Primaria petri dish gave spheroid type of hepatocyte, and heparin and hyaluronic acid treatment gave multilayers. To sustain high cell viability, monolayer cultured hepatocytes was more useful, while it was found that the hemispheroid or spheroid type hepatocytes was more active in the hepatic functions such as ammonia metabolism and albumin synthesis.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.423-427
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• 2001

Chitosan/alginate capsules were formed by electrostatic interactions and had appropriated mechanical strength, permeability to albumin, and stability to hepatocytes. Rat hepatocytes were isolated and immobilized in chitosan/alginate capsules. During the encapsulation process with hepatocyte, 10% of viability was decreased mainly due to the low pH of the chitosan solution. Among various capsule fabrication methods, the chitosan-alginate capsule showed the highest mechanical strength. Addition of collagen in the capsule with hepatocytes enhanced hepatic metabolism as well as the cell viability for 2 weeks of culture. The hepatocyte in the capsule without collagen decreased the viability to 10% for 2-week cultures.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2005

Chitosan-alginate capsules were formed by electrostatic interactions and exhibited an appropriate mechanical strength, permeability, and stability for the culture of hepatocytes. Pig hepatocytes were isolated and hepatocyte spheroids formed and immobilized in chitosan-alginate capsules. An encapsulation procedure of 3 min and spheroid formation period of 24 h were the optimum conditions for the best liver functions. Pig hepatocytes with a cell density of $6.0{\tomes}10^6$ cells/ml in the capsules were found to be most suitable for application in a bioartificial liver support system. The encapsulated pig hepatocyte spheroids exhibited stable ammonia removal and urea secretion rates in a bioreactor for 2 weeks. Accordingly, chitosan-alginate encapsulated hepatocyte spheroids in a packed-bed bioreactor would appear to have potential as a bioartificial liver.