Morphological and biochemical study of the hepatoprotective effect of AICA-phosphate.

The hepatoprotective effect and the possible mechanism of action of AICA-phosphate (AIP) were studied. Both the morphological and biochemical data proved the protective i.e. the connective tissue reducing effect of AIP in cirrhotic rat liver. Labelled AIP incorporated very intensively into microsomal RNA, suggesting that the compound may take part in the de novo purine synthesis. The increased rate of protein synthesis can be the consequence of the incorporation into RNA, promoting the regenerative processes in injured cells.