Objective: In patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)/HIV co-infection, a faster progression of liver fibrosis to cirrhosis has been reported. In this study, an investigation was carried out to determine whether gp120, an HIV envelope protein, modulates the biology of human hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), key cell types in the pathogenesis of fibrosis.
Methods: Myofibroblastic HSCs were isolated from normal human liver tissue.
The liver represents a site of expression of neurotrophins and their receptors. We have characterized the expression and intracellular localization of the nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor, Trk-A, in liver cells in vivo and in vitro. In both normal and fibrotic liver tissue, Trk-A immunostaining was present in different cell types, including parenchymal cells and cells of the inflammatory infiltrate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObesity and insulin resistance accelerate the progression of fibrosis during chronic liver disease. Resistin antagonizes insulin action in rodents, but its role in humans is still controversial. The aims of this study were to investigate resistin expression in human liver and to evaluate whether resistin may affect the biology of activated human hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), key modulators of hepatic fibrogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To investigate the effects of troglitazone (TGZ), an anti-diabetic drug which activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), for liver tissue repair, and the development of ductular reaction, following common bile duct ligation (BDL) in rats.
Methods: Rats were supplemented with TGZ (0.2% w/w in the pelleted food) for 1 wk before BDL or sham operation.
Background And Aims: The chemokines CCL19 and CCL21 bind CCR7, which is involved in the organization of secondary lymphoid tissue and is expressed during chronic tissue inflammation. We investigated the expression of CCL21 and CCR7 in chronic hepatitis C. The effects of CCL21 on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were also studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe biologic effects of growth factors are dependent on cell adhesion, and a cross talk occurs between growth factors and adhesion complexes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of cell adhesion on the major intracellular signaling pathways elicited by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in hepatic stellate cells (HSC). PDGF signaling was investigated in an experimental condition characterized by lack of cell adhesion for different intervals of time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: Little is known about the role of fractalkine (CX3CL1) in the liver. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression patterns of fractalkine and its receptor CX3CR1 in normal human liver and in conditions of injury.
Methods: Distribution and expression of fractalkine and its receptor were investigated using immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, flow cytometry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.