Original Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 28, 2013; 19(24): 3802-3809
Published online Jun 28, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i24.3802
Role of activin A in carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury
Dong-Hui Wang, Yi-Nan Wang, Jing-Yan Ge, Hai-Yan Liu, Hong-Jun Zhang, Yan Qi, Zhong-Hui Liu, Xue-Ling Cui
Dong-Hui Wang, Jing-Yan Ge, Yan Qi, Zhong-Hui Liu, Han-Yan Liu, Department of Immunology, Norman Bethune College of Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Yi-Nan Wang, Translational Medical Research Institute, First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130061, Jilin Province, China
Hong-Jun Zhang, Department of Immunology, Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang 157011, Heilongjiang Province, China
Xue-Ling Cui, Department of Genetics, Norman Bethune College of Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China
Author contributions: Wang DH and Wang YN contributed equally to this work; Wang DH, Ge JY, Liu HY and Qi Y participated in the animals experiments, collected data and performed the statistical calculations; Cui XL participated in the animals experiments and drafting the manuscript; Wang YN, Zhang HJ and Liu ZH participated in the design of the study, performed literature searches and drafted the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by The Natural Science Foundation of China, Grants No. 30801005, No. 81273199 and No. 81270513; and the Project of Science and Development of Jilin Province (to Liu ZH)
Correspondence to: Dr. Xue-Ling Cui, Department of Genetics, Norman Bethune College of Medicine, Jilin University, 126 Xinmin Street, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China. cxl@jlu.edu.cn
Telephone: +86-431-85619476 Fax: +86-431-85639362
Received: February 16, 2013
Revised: April 12, 2013
Accepted: May 8, 2013
Published online: June 28, 2013
Core Tip

Core tip: The objective of this study was to investigate the expression and role of activin A in acute liver injury. A carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury mouse model was used. Liver injury effects were examined by measuring alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels in serum and liver pathological changes. Activin A protein expression levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry. Activin type IIA receptor and Smad3 expressions in liver were analyzed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. We found that activin A is involved in CCl4-induced acute liver injury, suggesting activin A could be a potential therapeutic option for acute liver injury diseases.