Tomás Mendoza-Figueroa

Intracytoplasmic triglyceride accumulation produced by dexamethasone in adult rat hepatocytes cultivated on 3T3 cells

Glucocorticoids, such as hydrocortisone (HC) and dexamethasone (DEX), when administered to rats, induce lipid accumulation within hepatocytes (fatty liver). To investigate whether glucocorticoids can produce triglyceride (TG) accumulation as they do in vivo and the involved mechanisms, we have used primary cultures of rat hepatocytes which synthesized and secrete triglycerides into the culture medium. Hepatocytes cultivated on a feeder layer of lethally treated 3T3 cells were exposed for 2 weeks to micromolar concentrations of DEX. This glucocorticoid caused morphological alterations and cells accumulated lipid droplets in their cytoplasm; the TG content increased up to 6-fold in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The removal of [14C]acetic or [14C]oleic acid from the culture medium was not altered in the cultures treated with 50 micrograms/ml DEX but the incorporation of [14C]acetic and [14C]oleic acid into TG in these cultures was about 13-fold and 60% higher than in non-treated cells, respectively. On the other hand, hepatocytes treated with 50 micrograms/ml DEX for 2 weeks showed a 16-fold decrease in TG release and 40% inhibition in protein export, whereas synthesis of total cellular proteins was not altered. Our results show that corticosteroids, such as DEX, caused lipid accumulation in liver cells through an increased synthesis and/or esterification of fatty acids, but mostly through a decrease in the secretion of TG.

Triglyceride accumulation in long-term cultures of adult rat hepatocytes by chronic exposure to Aroclor 1254.

The effect of chronic exposure to micromolar concentrations of Aroclor 1254 (Aro) on the hepatic lipid metabolism was studied in long-term cultures of adult rat hepatocytes. Hepatocytes were cocultivated with mitomycin C-treated 3T3 cells and exposed for 2 wk to Aroclor 1254 concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 20 micrograms/ml. The Aro-exposed cultures showed intracytoplasmic lipid droplets and a maximum increase of 55% in the triglyceride (TG) content and of 4.4-fold in the cytochrome P-450 content. Labeling studies with [14C]acetic and [14C]oleic acid showed no changes in the uptake of fatty acid and TG precursors by the Aro-treated cultures; the synthesis of cellular lipids from [14C]acetic acid was slightly inhibited by Aroclor 1254, but that from [14C]oleic acid was increased, specially for TG (37%). The secretion of total lipids and TG was 2.1- and 2.7-fold lower, respectively, in the cultures treated with 20 micrograms/ml of Aroclor 1254, resulting in an increase of 1.9-fold in the intracellular content of TG. The synthesis of cellular proteins labeled with [3H]leucine was unchanged in the Aro-treated cultures, but the secretion of exportable proteins was 1.7-fold lower in the cultures treated with 20 micrograms/ml of Aroclor 1254. Our results showed that long-term exposure to in vivo relevant concentrations of Aroclor 1254 produced morphological and biochemical changes in cultured hepatocytes, like those described in vivo, and intracellular TG accumulation due mostly to impaired secretion of TG by the hepatocytes. Our results also suggest that this culture system could be useful for the screening of toxic agents producing fatty liver and the study of the involved mechanism(s).

Culture of proliferating and differentiating fat-storing cells in 3T3-conditioned medium

There is growing evidence suggesting that hepatic fat‐storing cells (FSC) or Ito cells have an important function in vitamin A storage and metabolism and in the synthesis of connective tissue components in normal liver and during fibrogenesis. The purified FSC acquire a fibroblastic morphology and their vitamin A content decreases in culture. We cultivated cells under in vitro conditions that allowed the expression of FSC morphological and functional characteristics for 3–4 weeks of primary culture. Cells were isolated from rat liver by the collagenase‐perfusion method without further purification and cultured with 3T3‐conditioned medium, which seemed to stimulate the selective proliferation of the FSC. After 8–10 days, round and stellate cells grew actively from a few precursor cells in the primary culture and were not subcultivated; the stellate cells had the ability to become round and vice versa and were highly motile. The cells had intracytoplasmic lipid droplets, a well developed rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complex, numerous vesicles filled with electron‐dense material, and extracellular matrix (ECM) components on their surface. Both stellate and round cells showed the presence of desmin by immunofluorescence and vitamin A autofluorescence, but lacked peroxidase activity. The culture conditions we describe allowed the selective proliferation of cells with morphological and functional characteristics of the FSC in the normal liver, raising the possibility of studying FSC proliferation and differentiation.

Synthesis and secretion of lipids by long-term cultures of female rat hepatocytes

Summary— The objective of this work was to characterize lipid metabolism in long‐term cultures of adult rat hepatocytes from female rats and explore the potential use of this culture system to study the effect of hormones, drugs and toxic chemicals on it. Hepatocytes, seeded on a feeder layer of 3T3 cells, maintained for 2 weeks their typical morphology. The cultures were able to take up [14C]acetic and [14C]oleic acid from the culture medium and incorporate them into lipids. The synthesis and secretion of lipids by [14C]acetic acid‐labeled cultures had a maximum value after 11 and 13 days in culture. Triacylglycerols were the main lipidic species synthesized and secreted by hepatocytes (up to 67% of the total lipids); they also synthesized and secreted phospholipids, cholesterol and cholesterol esters from [14C]acetic acid. Similarly, [14C]oleic acid‐labeled cultures synthesized and secreted mostly triacylglycerols (up to 60–70% of the total lipids), but they were also able to incorporate the labeled precursor into both cellular and secreted phospholipids and cholesterol esters. The activity of glycerol‐phosphate‐dehydrogenase, marker enzyme of glycerolipid synthesis, decreased slightly during the culture time whereas the activity of malic enzyme, marker of fatty acid synthesis, increased. Our results show that long‐term cultures of female rat hepatocytes are able to synthesize and secrete several lipids, specially triacylglycerols, from both [14C]acetic and [14C]oleic acid for at least 2 weeks and that they maintain enzyme activities related with the synthetic pathways of glycerolipids and fatty acids. They also suggest that these cultures could be a useful model system to study lipid metabolism and the effect of hormones, drugs and toxic chemicals on it.

Porphyrin production and excretion by long-term cultures of adult rat hepatocytes and effect of lead exposure

Porphyrin production and excretion and the effects of lead exposure were studied in long-term cultures of adult rat hepatocytes cultured on a feeder layer of 3T3 cells after addition of 5-aminolevulinic acid. Porphyrin excretion into the culture medium showed an irregular profile during the first 10 days, with a maximum increase of 50% at day 4 and at day 10 a value similar to that of day 1. Thereafter, porphyrin excretion decreased progressively to 18% of the initial value after 4 weeks. The cellular porphyrin content, after 7 and 28 days in culture, reached values 3.8 and 2.4-fold higher than the corresponding day 1 value. The exposure to 0.5 and 2.4 microM Pb2+ for up to 28 days produced a biphasic effect on porphyrin excretion. Firstly, there was a progressive decrease up to 81% during the first 6 days of lead exposure and, secondly, this effect was followed by an increase reaching control values at day 15 and of up to 6.7-fold after 22 days of exposure to 2.4 microM Pb2+. Similar changes were observed in cellular porphyrin content. The exposure to 0.5 and 2.4 microM Pb2+ for 2 and 4 weeks also produced morphological alterations and release of cytoplasmic enzymes. Our results show that hepatocytes cultured on 3T3 cells produce and excrete porphyrins for 28 days and that exposure for 4 weeks to micromolar lead concentrations alters these functions and cell morphology and produces cytotoxic effects which are better evaluated by monitoring alterations in porphyrin excretion than by enzyme leakage. They also suggest that this culture system is a useful model for assessing the toxic effects of xenobiotics on the biosynthesis of heme by liver cells.

Identification of repressor element 1 in cytochrome P450 genes and their negative regulation by RE1 silencing transcription factor/neuron-restrictive silencer factor.

RE1 silencing transcription factor/neuron-restrictive silencing factor (REST/NRSF) mediates transcriptional repression in many neuron-specific genes by interaction with the repressor element 1/neuron-restrictive silencing element (RE1/NRSE). This element has been identified at least in 20 neuron specific genes. REST/NRSF is highly expressed in non-neuronal tissues, where it is thought to repress gene transcription. We performed a BLAST search to look for the presence of RE1/NRSE elements in the rat cytochrome P450 genes. We identified the presence of RE1/NRSE element in the cytochrome P450 genes CYP1A1, 2A2, 2E1 and 3A2. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and supershift assays were carried out to prove functionality of these sites and detect the interaction of REST/NRSF with this sequence. Cotransfection studies in PC12 cells with a plasmid containing the RE1 element of the CYP genes, cloned upstream of the minimal type II sodium channel promoter, in the presence of REST/NRSF, showed a marked expression inhibition of the CAT reporter gene. These data suggest that the RE1 elements that exist in these four CYP genes might be a target for the REST/NRSF transcription factor and such an interaction might play a role in the negative regulation of these genes.

VISCOSITY REGULATES APOLIPOPROTEIN A-1 GENE EXPRESSION IN EXPERIMENTAL MODELS OF SECONDARY HYPERLIPIDEMIA AND IN CULTURED HEPATOCYTES

This study analyzes the relationship of plasmatic colloid osmotic pressure (PCO) and viscosity with the different hyperlipidemic stages observed in rats with acute liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and in rats with nephrotic syndrome induced by puromycin amino nucleoside (PAN). In both animal models viscosity increases were associated with the induction of the hyperlipidemic stage characterized by an increase of high density lipoproteins (HDL) and steady-state levels (SSL) of apo A-1 mRNA. In both animal models PCO decreased at early stages of the disease when hyperlipidemia was characterized principally by an increase of total cholesterol and triacylglycerols, but was not associated with the induction of HDL and apo A-1 mRNA. To confirm the in vivo findings, we studied the effect of viscosity on apo A-1 gene expression in an in vitro model using cultured hepatocytes. When medium viscosity was maintained below physiological values, an induction of the SSL of apo A-1 mRNA was observed. By contrast, when medium viscosity was raised to values similar or higher than the physiological range, the SSL of apo A-1 mRNA decreased steadily and after 24 h incubation an almost total inhibition was observed. These results suggest that in both experimental animal models of secondary hyperlipidemia, small viscosity changes below the physiological range, most probably in the interstitial fluid, can induce apo A-1 gene expression at the mRNA level, and that when viscosity reaches physiological values, apo A-1 gene expression is inhibited. Both effects were shown in cultured hepatocytes.

Effect of Arsenite on Urea Production by Long‐term Cultures of Adult Rat Hepatocytes

Urea cycle is a hepatic metabolic pathway involving five enzymes and several intermediary metabolites and can be altered by different chemicals. To investigate the effect of arsenic, an ubiquitous hepatotoxic agent, on urea production we exposed long‐term cultures of adult rat hepatocytes, which produce urea, to 1.33 and 6.67 μM arsenite for 2 weeks. In cultures exposed to 6.67 μM, urea production decreased 60–70% and cellular arginase activity decreased 30, 70 and 85% after 4, 7 and 14 days of exposure, respectively. The arginase activity released to the medium increased significantly after 4, 7 and 14 days, with a maximum value after 7 days of exposure that was 27‐fold higher than that of the untreated controls. The total arginase activity also decreased 35, 52 and 82% after 4, 7 and 14 days of exposure and protein content decreased 57 and 65% after 7 and 14 days of exposure, respectively. Exposure to 6.67 μM arsenite also produced accumulation of intracytoplasmic lipid droplets, vacuolizations and enlargement of the intercellular spaces. On the other hand, exposure of hepatocytes to 1.33 μM arsenite caused an initial decrease of 20% in urea production, did not change cellular, released and total arginase activity and cellular protein content and produced accumulation of intracytoplasmic lipid droplets. These results show that long‐term exposure of cultured rat hepatocytes to 6.67 μM arsenite decreases urea production, cellular and total arginase activity and protein content and increases the release of arginase into the culture medium. These alterations could be useful markers of hepatotoxicity in in vitro assays.

Differential effects of long-term exposure to Aroclor 1254 on lipid secretion by primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes

PCBs produce hepatic triglyceride (TG) accumulation (fatty liver) in experimental animals and humans exposed accidentally and occupationally. It has been suggested that this effect could be due to a block in TG secretion. On the other hand, increased levels of plasmatic TG and cholesterol have been described in rats after dietary exposure to Aroclor 1254 (Aro) and other PCBs; hypertriglyceridemia and hypertension have been also described in humans exposed for long periods to low concentrations of PCBs. Since the study of hepatic lipid metabolism and its alteration by toxic chemicals is complicated in the whole animal, short term cultures of adult rat hepatocytes have been used. We have described a system for the long term culture of adult rat hepatocytes which for several weeks maintain differentiated functions, like fatty acid and TG synthesis and their export to the culture medium. In this paper we used this culture system to study the effect of long-term exposure to micromolar concentrations of Aro on the secretion of lipids by cultured hepatocytes. 27 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.