Effects of retrorsine on mouse hepatocyte proliferation after liver injury.

OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of retrorsine on mouse hepatocyte proliferation.

METHODS

Mice and rats were treated respectively with two injections of retrorsine (as retrosine-treated group) or saline (as non-treated group) at 2 wk intervals. They received a single injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) 4 wk later. On d 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 15 after CCl4 administration, the animals were killed and their livers were excised. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Ki-67 antibody immunohistochemical analysis of liver samples were used to evaluate the pathological changes and hepatocyte proliferation.

RESULTS

In rats treated with retrorsine and CCl4, the liver displayed obvious megalocytosis, proliferation of mild bile duct,small hepatocyte-forming nodule, which were not found in liver samples from non-treated group. However,in mice treated with retrorsine combined with CCl4, the liver displayed hepatocyte degeneration and necrosis in perivenous areas.There was no obvious difference between retrorsine-treated group and non-treated group. Ki-67 immunohistochemical analysis showed that in rats treated with retrorsine, the positive hepatocytes mainly found in small hepatocyte nodules, were obviously less than those in non-treated group. The mice treated with retrorsine showed that the number of Ki-67 positive hepatocytes was very high and more than that in non-treated group.

CONCLUSIONS

Retrorsine has no effect on mouse hepatocyte proliferation.