Liver collagen hydroxylation in murine schistosomiasis.

The activity of procollagen prolyl hydroxylase was measured in fibrotic liver obtained from mice with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis, an animal model of the most prevalent form of human liver fibrosis. Measurable activity of prolyl hydroxylase in fibrotic liver supernatants was 47-fold higher than that of normal liver. The effect of prolyl hydroxylase inhibition on collagen synthesis in fibrotic liver slices was studied, using 8,9-dihydroxy-7-methyl benzo[b]quinolizinium bromide (GPA 1734). This compound was shown in other systems to inhibit prolyl and lysyl hydroxylations by iron chelation at concentrations which did not affect total protein synthesis. The formation of nondialyzable labelled hydroxyproline was inhibited by GPA 1734, 40, 70 and 95% at 30, 50 and 100 micrometer, respectively. Incorporation of proline into total liver protein was unaffected at 30 and 50 micrometer, but was inhibited 20% at 100 micrometer GPA 1734. Underhydroxylated collagen synthesized by liver slices with GPA 1734 was extracted with neutral salt solution and was subsequently hydroxylated with partially-purified prolyl hydroxylase to the same extent as control material synthesized in the absence of GPA 1734.