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. 2009 Sep 28;15(36):4529-37.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.4529.

Attenuation of portal hypertension by natural taurine in rats with liver cirrhosis

Jian Liang  1 , Xin Deng, Zhi-Xiu Lin, Li-Chun Zhao, Xi-Liu Zhang
Affiliations

Attenuation of portal hypertension by natural taurine in rats with liver cirrhosis

Jian Liang et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the inhibitory effect of natural taurine (NTau) on portal hypertension (PHT) in rats with experimentally-induced liver cirrhosis (LC).

Methods: Experimentally-induced LC Wistar rats (20 rats/group) were treated with either oral saline or oral NTau for 6 consecutive weeks. Evaluation parameters included portal venous pressure (PVP), portal venous resistance (PVR), portal venous flow (PVF), splanchnic vascular resistance (SVR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Vasoactive substance levels including nitric oxide (NO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were also measured. Histological investigation of type I and III collagen (COL I and III) and transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGF-beta1) was also performed.

Results: Treatment with NTau (1) significantly decreased PVP, PVR and PVF, and increased MAP and SVP; (2) markedly increased the vascular compliance and reduced the zero-stress of the portal vein; (3) markedly decreased the amount of NO and cGMP and activity of NOS; and (4) improved the pathological status of the liver tissue and reduced the expression of COL I, COL III and TGF-beta1.

Conclusion: NTau inhibited the LC-induced PHT by improving hyperdynamic circulation, morphology of liver and biomechanical properties of the portal vein in experimentally-induced LC rats.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Histological fingdings of liver tissue of the rats in different experimental groups. A: Normal healthy rats; B: LC rats; C: NTau-treated groups. (magnification, 10 × 20).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Bar chart presentation of the amount of COL I, COL III and TGF-β1 in the liver tissue of rats in different experimental groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of COL I in liver tissue of rats in different experimental groups. A: Normal healthy rats; B: LC Rats. Note the expression of a large amount of COL I; C: NTau-treated rats. Note the reduction of the expression of COL I. (magnification, 10 × 20).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of COL III in liver tissue of rats in different experimental groups. A: Normal healthy rats; B: LC rats. Note the abundance in the expression of COL III; C: NTau-treated rats. The expression of COL III was decreased. (magnification, 10 × 20).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of TGF-β1 in liver tissue of rats in different experimental groups. A: Normal healthy rats; B: LC rats. Note the increased expression of TGF-β1; C: NTau-treated rats. Note that the expression of TGF-β1 was reduced. (magnification, 10 × 20).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Comparison of the portal ring compliance among rats in different experimental groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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