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Liver fibrosis can result from various causes and could progress to cirrhosis and cancer; however, there are no effective treatments due to that its molecular mechanism is unclear. liver fibrosis model made by Schistosoma japonicum ( S. japonicum ) infection or Carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ) intraperitoneal injection is a conventional model used in liver fibrosis-related studies for mechanism or pharmaceutical research purposes. But the differences in the pathological progression, immune responses and the underlying mechanism between the two liver fibrosis model have not been carefully compared and characterized, which hinders us from correctly understanding and making better use of the two models. In the present study, the pathological changes to the liver, and the cytokines, inflammatory factors, macrophages, and lymphocytes subsets involved were analyzed in the liver fibrosis model of S. japonicum infection or CCl 4 intraperitoneal injection. Additionally, the pathological progression, immune responses and the underlying injury mechanism in these two models were compared and characterized. The results showed that the changing trend of interleukin-13 (IL-13), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), inflammatory factors, and M1, M2 macrophages, were consistent with the development trend of fibrosis regardless of whether liver fibrosis was caused by S. japonicum or CCl 4 . For lymphocyte subsets, the proportions of CD3 + T cells and CD4 + T cells decreased gradually, while proportion of CD8 + T cells peaked at 6 weeks in mice infected with S. japonicum and at 12 weeks in mice injected with CCl 4 . With prolonged S . japonicum infection time, Th1 (CD4 + IFN-γ + ) immunity converted to Th2 (CD4 + IL-4 + )/Th17 (CD4 + IL-17 + ) with weaker regulatory T cell (Treg) (CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + ) immunity. However, in liver fibrosis caused by CCl 4 , Th1 cells occupied the dominant position, while proportions of Th2, Th17, and Treg cells decreased gradually. In conclusion, liver fibrosis was a complex pathological process that was regulated by a series of cytokines and immune cells. The pathological progressions and immune responses to S. japonicum or CCl 4 induced liver fibrosis were different, possibly because of their different injury mechanisms. The appropriate animal model should be selected according to the needs of different experiments and the pathogenic factors of liver fibrosis in the study., (Copyright © 2020 Song, Yin, Mu, Li, Gao, Zhang, Dong, Mei and Hua.)

Sanguinarine (SAG) has been recognized as an anticancer drug candidate. However, the drug-drug interactions (DDI) potential for SAG via the inhibition against human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes remains unclear. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of SAG on seven major human CYP isoforms 1A2, 2A6, 2E1, 2D6, 2C8, 2C9 and 3A4 were investigated with human liver microsomes (HLM). The results showed that SAG was a potent noncompetitive inhibitor of CYP2C8 activity (Ki=8.9 μM), and competitive inhibitor of CYP1A2, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 activities (Ki=2.7, 3.8 and 2.0 μM, respectively). Furthermore, SAG exhibited time- and NADPH-dependent inhibition towards CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 with KI/kinact values of 13.3/0.087 and 5.58/0.029 min(-1) μM(-1), respectively. Weak inhibition of SAG against CYP2E1, CYP2D6 and CYP2A6 was also observed. In vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IV-IVE) from HLM data showed that more than 35.9% of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 activities in vivo could be inhibited by SAG, suggesting that harmful DDIs could occur when SAG or its medical preparations are co-administered with drugs primarily cleared by these CYP isoforms. Further in vivo studies are needed to evaluate the clinical significance of the data presented herein., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen clinically used to treat threatened abortion between the 1940s and the 1970s, has been restricted to treat certain cases of prostatic and breast cancer due to its adverse drug responses such as teratogenicity and carcinogenicity. Some reports have demonstrated that the addition of DES to docetaxel could modify tubulin composition and improve response of prostate cancer to chemotherapy. Given that DES might be co-administered with other drugs such as docetaxel, the present study focused on CYP-based drug-drug interaction (DDI). In vitro inhibitory effects of DES on CYP isoforms were investigated, and the results showed that DES could competitively inhibit CYP3A4, CYP2C8, CYP2C9 and CYP2E1. The inhibition constants (Ki) were calculated to be 4.4 microM, 3.0 microM, 5.0 microM and 8.0 microM for CYP3A4, CYP2C9, CYP2E1 and CYP2C8, respectively. Based on peak serum DES level after drip influsion of 500 mg of fosfestrol (DES diphosphate) in patients, [I]/Ki was calculated to be 4.3, 6.2, 3.7 and 2.3 for CYP3A4, CYP2C9, CYP2E1 and CYP2C8, which suggested that DES was likely to induce in vivo DDI through inhibition of these four major CYP isoforms. These results collectively demonstrate that adverse drug responses might exist when DES is co-administered with other drugs.

Although aquaporins (AQPs) play important roles in transcellular water movement, their precise quantification and localization remains controversial. We investigated expression levels and localizations of AQP3 and AQP8 and their possible functions in the rat digestive system using real-time polymerase chain reactions, western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. We investigated the expression levels and localizations of AQP3 and AQP8 in esophagus, forestomach, glandular stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, proximal and distal colon, and liver. AQP3 was expressed in the basolateral membranes of stratified epithelia (esophagus and forestomach) and simple columnar epithelia (glandular stomach, ileum, and proximal and distal colon). Expression was particularly abundant in the esophagus, and proximal and distal colon. AQP8 was found in the subapical compartment of columnar epithelial cells of the jejunum, ileum, proximal colon and liver; the most intense staining occurred in the jejunum. Our results suggest that AQP3 and AQP8 play significant roles in intestinal function and/or fluid homeostasis and may be an important subject for future investigation of disorders that involve disruption of intestinal fluid homeostasis, such as inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]