Studies on the Hepatic Fibrogenesis

A role of the Hepatocytes as a Place of Fibrogenesis and Attempts to repress the Fibrogenetic Process

Abstract

In order to clarify that which subcellular fraction of the damaged liver may play a major role for the hepatic fibrosis, the incorporation of C¹⁴-proline and its conversion to hydroxyproline were examined at the early stages of the experimental liver injury on the separated hepatocytes prepared by a sucrose gradient centrifugation. It was found that the radioactive proline and hydroxyproline are readily significant in the microsomal fraction of hepatocytes at the early stage of the liver damage, and then their marked incorporations are transfered to the soluble fraction in the later stage of the liver damage.
The antifibrogenetic effects of cortisone, 4-aminoproline, p-carboxyphenylglycylaminoacetonitrile, and 6-mercaptopurine were examined on the fibrogenetic process of the liver injury and found that they have an inhibitory effect on the incorporation of proline and its hydroxylation in the ribosomes of the hepatocytes, while 6-mercaptopurine has a marked suppressive effect on the formation of both collagenous and non-collagenous protein.