LECラット肝臓中の銅-メタ口チオネインとNOの反応

抄録

LEC (Long-Evans Cinnamon) rats develop spontaneous hepatic injury associated with severe jaundice about 4 months after birth. Recently, we obtained evidence which shows an unusual accumulation of copper (Cu) in the liver of LEC rats, followed by finding of the copper-metallothionein (Cu-MT) induction. We suggest the mechanism for the development of the hepatitis in LEC rats in relation to the accumulated copper and induced Cu-MT. On the other hand, nitric oxide (・NO) is known to play a wide variety of physiological role such as control of the blood pressure and immuno-readion. NO has been shown to react with free SH-groups of proteins yielding nitrosothiols.

In the present study, we examined the age- and organ- dependent changes of NO in LEC rats. Then we studied the reaction of NO and Cu-MT in the liver of LEC rats.