deficiency enhances carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury in aged mice.

OBJECTIVES

As a multifunctional molecule, NO has different effects on liver injury. The present work aimed to investigate the effects of knockout (KO) on acute liver injury in aged mice treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The acute liver injury model was produced by CCl at 10 ml/kg body weight in 24-month-old KO mice and wild type (WT) mice groups. The histological changes, transaminase and glutathione (GSH) contents, and the expressions of liver function genes superoxide dismutase (SOD2) and butyrylcholinesterase (BCHE), as well as apoptosis- and inflammation-associated genes were detected at 0, 6, 16, 20, 28, and 48 hr, respectively.

RESULTS

Compared with WT aged mice, there are more fat droplets in liver tissues of KO aged mice, and the serum levels of ALT and AST were elevated in the KO group; in addition, there was a decrease in the expression of SOD2 and BCHE and GSH content at multiple time-points. Furthermore, the expression of apoptosis protein CASPASE-3 was elevated from 20 to 48 hr, the same as CASPASE-9 at 28 and 48 hr and pro-apoptotic protein BAX at 6 and 28 hr, while the expression of apoptosis inhibitory protein BCL2 declined at 6 and 28 hr; at the same time the mRNA expressions of genes related to inflammation were increased at different extents in liver extracts of KO aged mice.

CONCLUSION

KO exacerbated liver injury probably by elevated oxidative stress, apoptosis and inflammation response in CCl-induced aged mice liver intoxication model.