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Human Liver Slices (human + liver_slice)

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Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Novel biotransformation and physiological properties of norursodeoxycholic acid in humans,,

HEPATOLOGY, Issue 6 2005
Alan F. Hofmann
Experiments were performed in 2 volunteers to define the biotransformation and physiological properties of norursodeoxycholic acid (norUDCA), the C23 (C24 -nor) homolog of UDCA. To complement the in vivo studies, the biotransformation of norUDCA ex vivo using precision-cut human liver slices was also characterized. In the human studies, both a tracer dose given intravenously and a physiological dose (7.9 mmol, 3.0 g) given orally were excreted equally in bile and urine. By chromatography and mass spectrometry, the dominant biotransformation product of norUDCA in bile and urine was the C-23 ester glucuronide. Little N -acyl amidation (with glycine or taurine) occurred. The oral dose induced a sustained bicarbonate-rich hypercholeresis, with total bile flow averaging 20 ,L/kg/min, a rate extrapolating to 2 L/d. The increased bile flow was attributed to cholehepatic shunting of norUDCA as well to the lack of micelles in bile. Phospholipid and cholesterol secretion relative to bile acid secretion decreased during secretion of norUDCA and its metabolites, presumably also because of the absence of micelles in canalicular bile. When incubated with human liver slices, norUDCA was glucuronidated, whereas UDCA was conjugated with glycine or taurine. In conclusion, in humans, norUDCA is glucuronidated rather than amidated. In humans, but not animals, there is considerable renal elimination of the C-23 ester glucuronide, the dominant metabolite. NorUDCA ingestion induces a bicarbonate-rich hypercholeresis and evokes less phospholipid and cholesterol secretion into bile than UDCA. Molecules that undergo cholehepatic shunting should be powerful choleretics in humans. (HEPATOLOGY 2005;42:1391,1398.) [source]

Analysis of bile acid-induced regulation of FXR target genes in human liver slices

LIVER INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2007
Diana Jung
Abstract Information about the role of nuclear receptors has rapidly increased over the last decade. However, details about their role in human are lacking. Owing to species differences, a powerful human in vitro system is needed. This study uses for the first time precision-cut human liver slices in the nuclear receptor field. The farnesoid X receptor (FXR) was chosen as a model. We were able to demonstrate that human liver slices efficiently take up bile acids and show a stable expression of a wide variety of genes relevant for bile acid metabolism, including bile acid transporters, cytochrome P450 enzymes and transcription factors. Treatment with chenodeoxycholate induced small heterodimer partner, bile salt export pump and p-glycoprotein, ABCB4 and repressed cholesterol 7, hydroxylase, hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)1, HNF4 and organic anion transporting peptide (OATP)1B1. OATP1B3, FXR, HNF3, and cytochrome P450 enzyme remained relatively constant. In contrast to what has been observed in mice and rat studies, SHP induction did not result in repression of sodium-dependent bile acid cotransporter expression. Further, regulation of genes seemed to be dependent on concentration and time. Taken together, the study shows that the use of liver slices is a powerful technique that enables to study nuclear receptors in the human liver. [source]

Expression and regulation of the bile acid transporter, OST, -OST, in rat and human intestine and liver

BIOPHARMACEUTICS AND DRUG DISPOSITION, Issue 5 2009
Ansar A. Khan
Abstract The regulation of the OST, and OST, expression was studied in the rat jejunum, ileum, colon and liver and in human ileum and liver by ligands for the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), pregnane X receptor (PXR), vitamin D receptor (VDR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) using precision cut tissue slices. The gradient of protein and mRNA expression in segments of the intestine for rOST, and rOST, paralleled that of rASBT. OST, and OST, mRNA expression, quantified by qRT-PCR, in rat jejunum, ileum, colon and liver, and in human ileum and liver was positively regulated by FXR and GR ligands. In contrast, the VDR ligand, 1,25(OH)2D3 decreased the expression of rOST, -rOST, in rat intestine, but had no effect on human ileum, and rat and human liver slices. Lithocholic acid (LCA) decreased the expression of rOST, and rOST, in rat ileum but induced OST, -OST, expression in rat liver slices, and human ileum and liver slices. The PXR ligand, pregnenolone-16, carbonitrile (PCN) had no effect. This study suggest that, apart from FXR ligands, the OST, and OST, genes are also regulated by VDR and GR ligands and not by PXR ligands. This study show that VDR ligands exerted different effects on OST, -OST, in the rat and human intestine and liver compared with other nuclear receptors, FXR, PXR, and GR, pointing to species- and organ-specific differences in the regulation of OST, -OST, genes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]