THE CYTOTOXICITY OF CHENODEOXYCHOLIC ACID ON PRIMARY CULTURED RAT HEPATOCYTES AND CYTOPROTECTIVE ACTION OF PROSTAGLANDIN E₁

Abstract

Cytotoxicity of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) on hepatocytes was studied using primary cultured rat hepatocytes and the cytoprotective effect of prostaglandin E₁(PGE₁) was also investigated.
Marked elevation of LDH activity was noted in the culture medium of rat hepatocytes containing 0.5mM/L of CDCA even after 30 minutes incubation. Electron microscopy showed remarkable changes of the plasma membranes of cultured hepatocytes with minimal alteration of cytoplasmic organelles in the medium containing 0.5mM/L of CDCA. Addition of PGE₁ in the medium minimized the release of LDH from hepatocytes cultured in the medium containing CDCA, and ultrastructural changes of the plasma membrane of cultured hepatocytes were much less conspicuous. These data indicate that PGE₁ may have a beneficial effect on the changes of cultured hepatocytes induced by CDCA.