Basic Research
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2003. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 15, 2003; 9(4): 765-770
Published online Apr 15, 2003. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v9.i4.765
Expression of growth hormone receptor and its mRNA in hepatic cirrhosis
Hong-Tao Wang, Shuang Chen, Jie Wang, Qing-Jia Ou, Chao Liu, Shu-Sen Zheng, Mei-Hai Deng, Xiao-Ping Liu
Hong-Tao Wang, Jie Wang, Qing-Jia Ou, Chao Liu, Department of Hepato-biliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
Shuang Chen, Department of Gastroenteral Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China
Shu-Sen Zheng, Molecular Medical Laboratory Center, Sun Yat-Sen Medical College, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510089, Guangdong Province, China
Mei-Hai Deng, Department of General Surgery, the Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, Guangdong Province, China
Xiao-Ping Liu, Department of General Surgery, Shenzhen Central Hospital, Peking University, Shenzhen 518036, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, No.984213 and Academic Foundation of Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences and Ministry of Health for Project 211, No.F000099075
Correspondence to: Dr. Hong-Tao Wang, M.D., Ph.D, Department of Hepato-biliary Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong Province, China. sumswht@hotmail.com
Telephone: +86-20-81332020 Fax: +86-20-81332853
Received: October 5, 2002
Revised: October 28, 2002
Accepted: November 6, 2002
Published online: April 15, 2003
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the expression of growth hormone receptor (GHR) and mRNA of GHR in cirrhotic livers of rats with the intension to find the basis for application of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) to patients with liver cirrhosis.

METHODS: Hepatic cirrhosis was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by administration of thioacetamide intraperitoneally for 9-12 weeks. Collagenase IV was perfused in situ for isolation of hepatocytes. The expression of GHR and its mRNA in cirrhotic livers was studied with radio-ligand binding assay, RT-PCR and digital image analysis.

RESULTS: One class of specific growth hormone-binding site, GHR, was detected in hepatocytes and hepatic tissue of cirrhotic livers. The binding capacity of GHR (RT, fmol/mg protein) in rat cirrhotic liver tissue (30.8 ± 1.9) was significantly lower than that in normal control (74.9 ± 3.9) at the time point of the ninth week after initiation of induction of cirrhosis (n = 10, P < 0.05), and it decreased gradually along with the accumulation of collagen in the process of formation and development of liver cirrhosis (P < 0.05). The number of binding sites (× 104/cell) of GHR on rat cirrhotic hepatocytes (0.86 ± 0.16) was significantly lower than that (1.28 ± 0.24) in control (n = 10, P < 0.05). The binding affinity of GHR among liver tissue, hepatocytes of various groups had no significant difference (P > 0.05). The expression of GHR mRNA (riOD, pixel) in rat cirrhotic hepatic tissues (23.3 ± 3.1) was also significantly lower than that (29.3 ± 3.4) in normal control (n = 10, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: The growth hormone receptor was expressed in a reduced level in liver tissue of cirrhotic rats, and lesser expression of growth hormone receptors was found in a later stage of cirrhosis. The reduced expression of growth hormone receptor was partly due to its decreased expression on cirrhotic hepatocytes and the reduced expression of its mRNA in cirrhotic liver tissue.

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