METALLOTHIONEIN-INDEPENDENT HEPATOPROTECTION BY ZINC AND SAKURASO-SAPONIN

Citation
N. Itoh et al., METALLOTHIONEIN-INDEPENDENT HEPATOPROTECTION BY ZINC AND SAKURASO-SAPONIN, Toxicology letters, 93(2-3), 1997, pp. 135-140
Citations number
21
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Toxicology
Journal title
ISSN journal
0378-4274
Volume
93
Issue
2-3
Year of publication
1997
Pages
135 - 140
Database
ISI
SICI code
0378-4274(1997)93:2-3<135:MHBZAS>2.0.ZU;2-5
Abstract
Hepatoprotective activities of zinc and sakuraso-saponin against toxic ity of carbon tetrachloride were investigated in metallothionein (MT)- deficient mice. Pretreatment of control 129/Sv mice with zinc or sakur aso-saponin blocked carbon tetrachloride-induced elevation of plasma t ransaminase activities. Quantitatively equivalent protection against c arbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage was also observed in MT-def icient mice. Zinc and sakuraso-saponin caused elevation of hepatic MT levels in control 12/Sv mice, whereas hepatic MT was undetectable in M T-deficient mice. To examine the possibility that sakuraso-saponin-ind uced hepatoprotection is mediated by endogenous zinc, the hepatic conc entration of zinc was analyzed. Hepatic zinc concentration in MT-defic ient mice was not changed by the treatment of sakuraso-saponin. Inject ion of sakuraso-saponin caused a decrease of activity of aniline hydro xylation. The suppression of cytochrome P450 appears to be a mechanism by which sakuraso-saponin protects mice from the hepatotoxic effects of carbon tetrachloride. These findings indicate that the hepatoprotec tive activity of zinc or sakuraso-saponin is not dependent on their MT -inducing activity. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.