Phosphoprotein analysis for investigation of in vivo relationship between protein phosphatase inhibitory activities and acute hepatotoxicity of microcystin-LR

Microcystin-LR (MCLR) produced by freshwater cyanobacteria is a potent hepatotoxin and inhibits protein serine/threonine phosphatases 1 and 2A (PP1 and PP2A). Okadaic acid (OA) is a similar phosphatase inhibitor, which has less affinity to PP1 than PP2A. MCLR and OA behave similarly with primary culture hepatocytes with the induction of phosphorylation of the cytokeratins, morphological changes, and apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo relationship between the protein phosphatase inhibitory activities and the acute hepatotoxicity of MCLR compared to OA. MCLR and OA were intraperitoneally administrated to mice at approximately 220 microg/kg. After 30 min, the liver of only the MCLR-treated mouse was dark-colored and heavier than that of the control mouse. Subsequently, the phosphoproteins of the mouse liver were chemically modified with reversible biotinylation reagent and selectively analyzed by LC/MS/MS. Consequently, the phosphorylated Ser 354 of formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase, which is an abundant enzyme in the liver cytoplasm, was observed in the MCLR- and the OA-treated mice 9.5 and 5.3 times more intensely than in the control mouse respectively, suggesting that MCLR and OA inhibited PP2A and induced the resulting phosphorylation. These results supported the hypothesis that the acute hepatotoxicity is possibly caused by the PP1 inhibition, and not by the PP2A inhibition.     

The methyl ester of okadaic acid is more potent than okadaic acid in disrupting the actin cytoskeleton and metabolism of primary cultured hepatocytes

Background and purpose:

Okadaic acid (OA) and microcystins (MCs) are structurally different toxins with the same mechanism of action, inhibition of serine/threonine protein phosphatases (PPs). Methyl okadaate (MeOk), a methyl ester derivative of OA, was considered almost inactive due to its weak inhibition of PP1 and PP2A. Here, we have investigated the activity and potency of MeOk in hepatic cells in comparison with that of OA and MCs.

Experimental approach:

We tested the effects of MeOK, OA and microcystin-leucine and arginine (MC-LR) on the metabolic rate, the actin cytoskeleton and glucose uptake in a rat hepatocyte cell line (Clone 9) and in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. PP2A was assayed to compare OA and MeOk activity.

Key results:

MeOk disrupted the actin cytoskeleton and depressed the metabolic rate of both types of rat hepatocytes, being six-fold less potent than OA in Clone 9 cells but nearly six-fold more potent in primary cultured hepatocytes. However, unlike OA, MeOk did not change glucose uptake in these cells, suggesting a weak inhibition of PP2A, as confirmed in direct assays of PP2A activity.

Conclusions and implications:

Although MeOk was originally described as a weakly bioactive molecule, it clearly depressed the metabolic rate and disrupted the cytoskeleton in primary and immortalized rat hepatocytes. Furthermore, MeOk affected primary hepatocytes at much lower concentrations than those affecting immortalized cells. These effects were unrelated to PP2A inhibition. Our results suggest the risk to public health from MeOk in foodstuffs should be re-evaluated.     

The role of organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs/SLCOs) in the toxicity of different microcystin congeners in vitro: A comparison of primary human hepatocytes and OATP-transfected HEK293 cells

Cellular uptake of microcystins (MCs), a family of cyclic cyanobacterial heptapeptide toxins, occurs via specific organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs), where MCs inhibit serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatase (PP). Despite comparable PP-inhibitory capacity, MCs differ greatly in their acute toxicity, thus raising the question whether this discrepancy results from MC-specific toxikokinetic rather than toxicodynamic differences. OATP-mediated uptake of MC congeners MCLR, -RR, -LW and -LF was compared in primary human hepatocytes and HEK293 cells stably expressing recombinant human OATP1B1/SLCO1B1 and OATP1B3/SLCO1B3 in the presence/absence of OATP substrates taurocholate (TC) and bromosulfophthalein (BSP) and measuring PP-inhibition and cytotoxicity. Control vector expressing HEK293 were resistant to MC cytotoxicity, while TC and BSP competition experiments reduced MC cytotoxicity in HEK293-OATP transfectants, thus confirming the requirement of OATPs for trans-membrane transport. Despite comparable PP-inhibiting capabilities, MCLW and -LF elicited cytotoxic effects at lower equimolar concentrations than MCLR and MCRR, hence suggesting congener selective transport into HEK293-OATP transfectants and primary human hepatocytes. Primary human hepatocytes appeared one order of magnitude more sensitive to MC congeners than the corresponding HEK293 -OATP transfectants. Although the latter maybe due to a much lower level of PPs in primary human hepatocytes, the presence of OATPs other than 1B1 or 1B3 may have added to an increased uptake of MCs. In view of the high sensitivity of human hepatocytes and currently MCLR-only based risk calculations, the actual risk of human MC-intoxication and ensuing liver damage could be underestimated in freshwater cyanobacterial blooms where MCLW and-LF predominate.     

Microcystin‐LR induces protein phosphatase 2A alteration in a human liver cell line

Microcystin‐LR (MC‐LR) is a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, and has potent hepatotoxicity and tumor promotion activity. Numerous studies on MC‐LR toxicity have been conducted in rat hepatocytes, but few studies of the effects of microcystins on human hepatocytes have been done. In this study, HL7702 cells (a human normal liver cell line) were incubated in MC‐LR for 24 h. The existence of MC‐LR in HL7702 cells was confirmed. Furthermore, PP2A activity and the alteration of PP2A subunits were assessed. The results show that PP2A activity decreased from the concentration of 1 μM MC‐LR, showing a concentration‐dependent decline, to about 34% at 10 μM MC‐LR. This activity undergone opposite change with alternations of phosphorylated Y307‐PP2A/C and PP2A/C subunit but showed same change with the alteration of the ratio of methylated L309‐PP2A/C to PP2A/C. B55α, a regulatory subunit of PP2A, was slightly increases in cells treated with the highest concentration of MC‐LR (10 μM), and colocalized increasedly with rearranged‐microtubules after 1 μM MC‐LR exposure. However, the proportion of early apoptotic cells did not show any change at various concentration of MC‐LR for 24 h. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing MC‐LR‐induced alteration of PP2A phosphatase in human cultured hepatocytes, and the mechanism of action seems to be similar as described before in vitro. The alteration of PP2A and microtubule seems to be the early event induced by MC‐LR exposure. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 29: 1236–1244, 2014.     

3-甲基胆蒽对大鼠肝细胞细胞色素P450 1A的诱导作用

目的　研究 3 甲基胆蒽 (3 methylcholanthrene,3 MC)对原代培养大鼠肝细胞细胞色素P450 1A(CYP 1A)酶活力的诱导作用 ,并探讨其时间 效应和剂量 效应关系。方法　原位 2步胶原酶灌流法分离大鼠肝细胞 ,无血清条件下培养细胞 ,并用不同剂量的 3 MC诱导肝细胞 2 4h或 48h。乙氧基试卤灵 (ethoxyresorufin,EOR)为CYP 1A酶活力探针药 ,高效液相色谱法 (HPLC)测定试卤灵 (resorufin,RSF)浓度。结果　实验条件下对照组和 3 MC诱导组的RSF均可被检测 ,与对照细胞相比 ,除 0 0 0 5μmol L的 3 MC对原代培养大鼠肝细胞EROD无显著诱导作用外 ,其余剂量 (0 0 5 ,0 5 ,5μmol L)的 3 MC均明显诱导酶活力 ,酶活力分别被上调至对照组的 5 0 8,2 3 3 ,33 6倍 (P <0 0 1 ) ,3 MC的诱导作用在 2 4h达最强 ,而其在 48h的诱导作用与 2 4h相似。3 MC对原代培养大鼠肝细胞CYP 1A酶活力的诱导作用呈明显的剂量依赖性。结论　 3 MC对大鼠原代培养肝细胞CYP 1A酶活力有明显的诱导作用     

Microcystin-LR toxicodynamics, induced pathology, and immunohistochemical localization in livers of blue-green algae exposed rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss).

With this retrospective study, we investigated the temporal pattern of toxin exposure and pathology, as well as the topical relationship between hepatotoxic injury and localization of microcystin-LR, a potent hepatotoxin, tumor promoter, and inhibitor of protein phosphatases-1 and -2A (PP), in livers of MC-gavaged rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) yearlings, using an immunohistochemical detection method and MC-specific antibodies. H&E stains of liver sections were used to determine pathological changes. Nuclear morphology of hepatocytes and ISEL analysis were employed as endpoints to detect the advent of apoptotic cell death in hepatocytes. Trout had been gavaged with lyophilized cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa, strain PCC 7806) at acutely toxic doses of 5700 microg microcystin (MC) per kg of body weight (bw), as described previously (Tencalla and Dietrich, 1997). Briefly, 3 control and 3 test animal were killed 1, 3, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after bolus dosing, and livers were fixed and paraffin embedded for histological analysis and later retrospective histochemical analyses. The results of the immunohistochemistry reported here revealed a time dependent, discernible increase in MC-positive staining intensity throughout the liver, clearly not concurring with the kinetics of hepatic PP inhibition observed in the same fish and reported in an earlier publication by Tencalla and Dietrich (1997). After 3 h, marked and increasing MC-immunopositivity was observed in the cytoplasm, as well as the nuclei of hepatocytes. Apoptotic cell death could be detected after 48 h, at the very earliest. These data suggest that accumulation of MC and subsequent changes in cellular morphology, PP inhibition, and hepatocyte necrosis represent the primary events in microcystin induced hepatotoxicity and appear to be associated with the reversible interaction of MC with the PP. In contrast, apoptotic cell death, as demonstrated here, seems to be of only secondary nature and presumably results from the covalent interaction of MC with cellular and nuclear PP as well as other thiol containing cellular proteins.     

Human and rat hepatocyte toxicity and protein phosphatase 1 and 2A inhibitory activity of naturally occurring desmethyl-microcystins and nodularins

Contamination of water, foods and food supplements by various genera of cyanobacteria is a serious health problem worldwide for humans and animals, largely due to the toxic effects of microcystins (MCs) and nodularin (NOD), a group of hepatotoxic cyclic peptides. The toxins occur in variable structures resulting in more than 90 different MCs and 8 different NODs, many of them not having been investigated for their toxic potency. Potent MCs such as MC-LR have been shown to elicit their hepatotoxic potency via inhibition of hepatic protein phosphatases (PP) 1 and 2A leading to over-phosphorylation of vital cellular proteins. This mechanism of action is also thought to be responsible for the long term tumor promoting action of certain MCs and NOD in the liver. Here, we report on the isolation of certain MCs and NOD as well as a number of their desmethylated derivatives from algae bloom. Subsequently, we determined the cytotoxicity of these compounds in isolated primary human and rat hepatocytes in culture. In parallel experiments, we analyzed the inhibitory potency of these congeners on PP1 and 2A using commercially available enzymes. We found in primary rat hepatocytes that MC-LR, -YR and NOD were cytotoxic, namely in the 10 to >50 nM range, while MC-RR was not. The desmethylated congeners of MC-LR, -YR, and NOD were equally or more-toxic as/than their fully methylated counterparts. In primary human hepatocytes we could show that MC-LR, NOD and the desmethylated variants [3Asp]MC-LR, [?Dha]MC-LR and [1Asp]NOD were cytotoxic in the 20 to >600 nM range. Inhibition data with human, bovine and rabbit protein phosphatases 1 and 2A were roughly in accordance with the cytotoxicity findings in human and rat hepatocytes, i.e. desmethylation had no pronounced effects on the inhibitory potencies. Thus, a variety of naturally occurring desmethylated MC and NOD congeners have to be considered as being at least as toxic as the corresponding fully methylated derivatives.     

Ras mutation, irrespective of cell type and p53 status, determines a cell's destiny to undergo apoptosis by okadaic acid, an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 and 2A.

Okadaic acid (OA), a toxin from the black sponge Halicondria okadai, is a specific inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatases 1 (PP1) and 2A (PP2A). OA is a tumor promoter but also induces apoptosis in some tumor cell lines. In this study, we determined whether ras mutation and/or p53 status are characteristics associated with the cell's sensitivity to the induction of apoptosis by OA. Several cell lines that differed in ras and p53 mutations were treated with OA (10-100 nM). At 24 to 48 h after treatment, the percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis was quantitated. The cell lines with mutations in either H-ras (human bladder carcinoma cell line T24 and mouse keratinocyte cell line 308), or K-ras (human colon carcinoma cell lines DLD-1 and HCT116; human prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP and PC-3; human lung cancer cell lines Calu-6 and SKLU-1; and human pancreatic cancer cell line MIAPaCa2) were more sensitive to OA-induced apoptosis (3- to 10-fold) than the cell lines that lacked the ras mutation (mouse epidermal cell lines C50 and JB6; murine fibroblast cell line NIH3T3; human colon cancer cell line HT29; human kidney epithelial cell line Hs715.K; and human pancreatic cancer cell line Bx-PC3). Similarly, using isogenic cell lines we found that overexpression of mutated H-ras in NIH3T3 and in SV40 immortalized human uroepithelial cells (SVHUC) enhanced their sensitivity to undergo apoptosis in response to OA treatment. The T24, DLD-1, SKLU-1, Calu-6, and MIAPaCa2 cell lines express mutated p53. The SVHUC as well as their ras-transfected counterparts have inactive p53 due to complex formation between large "T" antigen and p53. Taken together, these results imply that OA-induced apoptosis may involve a p53-independent pathway. The transfectants (NIH3T3-ras and SVHUC-ras), which express mutated H-ras, have up-regulated PP2A activity. OA treatment inhibited in vivo the levels of PP1 and PP2A activity, and induced apoptosis in SVHUC-ras and other cell lines. We conclude that OA-induced cell death pathway in ras-activated cell lines may involve a cross talk between PP1 and PP2A and ras signaling pathways. In light of the present results, the current theory that OA promotes mouse skin tumor formation by selective expansion of initiated cells that harbor ras mutations needs reevaluation.     

Activation of CYP1A1 gene expression during primary culture of mouse hepatocytes

Expression of CYP1A1 mRNA in mouse hepatocytes in primary culture was investigated. The expression was obvious on day 3 of culture without addition of any known ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and increased with culture period. Removal of insulin from and addition of hydrogen peroxide to the medium enhanced and suppressed the expression, respectively. The CYP1A1 mRNA expression was also enhanced in the presence of anti-oxidant, t-butylhydroquinone, in the medium. Several kinds of kinase inhibitors markedly increased the CYP1A1 mRNA expression. In contrast, the inhibitory expression was prolonged in the presence of okadaic acid, a potent inhibitor of serine/threonine phosphatase PP1 and PP2. These observations suggest that there might be a repressive pathway in the regulation of CYP1A1 mRNA expression and that the presently observed expression pathway differs at several points from those previously reported, such as ligand-activated aryl hydrocarbon receptor- or omeprazole-mediated expression. Modulation of CYP1A2 mRNA expression after exposing hepatocytes to agents affecting phosphorylation pathways differed from that of CYP1A1 mRNA. This implies that regulatory pathways for CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 expression may differ.     

The effects of short‐term treatment of microcystin‐LR on the insulin pathway in both the HL7702 cell line and livers of mice

Our previous work indicated exposure of Human liver cell 7702 (HL7702) cells to Microcystin‐leucine‐arginine (MC‐LR) for 24 hours can disrupt insulin (INS) signaling by the hyperphosphorylation of specific proteins. For further exploring the time‐dependent effect posed by MC‐LR on this pathway, in the current study, HL7702 cells together with mice were exposed to the MC‐LR with different concentrations under short‐term treatment, and then, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity and expression of proteins related to INS signaling, as well as the characteristics of their action in the liver, were investigated. The results indicated, in HL7702 cells with 0.5, 1, and 6 hours of treatment by MC‐LR, PP2A activity showed an obvious decrease in a time and concentration‐dependent manner. While the total protein level of Akt, glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK‐3), and glycogen synthase remained unchanged, GSK‐3 and Akt phosphorylation increased significantly. In livers of mice with 1 hour of intraperitoneal injection with MC‐LR, a similar change in these proteins was observed. In addition, the levels of total IRS1 and p‐IRS1 at serine sites showed decreasing and increasing trends,respectively, and the hematoxylin and eosin staining showed that liver tissues of mice in the maximum‐dose group exhibited obvious hepatocyte degeneration and hemorrhage. Our results further proved that short‐term treatment with MC‐LR can inhibit PP2A activity and disrupt INS signaling proteins' phosphorylation level, thereby interfering with the INS pathway. Our findings provide a helpful understanding of the toxic effects posed by MC‐LR on the glucose metabolism of liver via interference with the INS signaling pathway.     

Microcystin‐LR induces a wide variety of biochemical changes in the A549 human non‐small cell lung cancer cell line: Roles for protein phosphatase 2A and its substrates

Our previous studies have described the toxic effects of microcystin‐LR (MC‐LR) in various normal cell lines and human hepatoma SMMC‐7721 cells, but the specific effects of MC‐LR in other types of cancer cells with respect to protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) have not been fully elaborated. A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells have been identified to express organic anion‐transporting polypeptides (OATP) involved in cellular uptake of MC‐LR, and thus probably make an appropriate in vitro model to assess MC‐LR's cytotoxicity. Hence, in our present study, A549 cells were treated with various concentrations of MC‐LR for 24 h. The presence of MC‐LR in A549 cells was confirmed, and PP2A activity, PP2A substrates, cytoskeleton, apoptosis, and proliferation were subsequently explored. The results showed that 5–10 μM MC‐LR inhibited PP2A activity significantly but 0.5–1 μM MC‐LR did not change PP2A activity dramatically. The inhibition could result from the hyperphosphorylation of PP2A/C at Tyr307, an elevation in the total PP2A/C expression and the dissociation of α4/PP2A/C complexes. Moreover, MC‐LR led to rearrangements of filamentous actin and microtubules, which might be correlated with the hyperphosphorylation of Ezrin, VASP and HSP27 due to PP2A inhibition and mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation. However, exposure to MC‐LR for 24 h failed to trigger either apoptosis or proliferation, which might be related to PP2A‐inhibition‐induced hyperphosphorylation of Bcl‐2 and Bad and the activation status of Akt. In conclusion, our data indicated that MC‐LR induced extensive molecular and cellular alterations in A549 cells through a PP2A‐centered pathway, which differed in some respects from our previous study in SMMC‐7721 cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report comprehensively demonstrating the effects of MC‐LR in A549 cells, and our findings provide insights into the mechanism of MC‐LR toxicity in cancer cells. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 1065–1078, 2017.     

Control of the mutagenicity of aromatic amines by protein kinases and phosphatases I. The protein phosphatase inhibitors okadaic acid and ortho -vanadate drastically reduce the mutagenicity of aromatic amines

The role of protein kinase C and protein phosphatases was examined in the control of mutagenic metabolites of aromatic amines. Various metabolic activating systems derived from rat liver were treated with: 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a protein kinase C modulator; okadaic acid (OA), a potent inhibitor of serine/threonine protein phosphatases (PP1 and PP2A); and ortho-vanadate (OV), an inhibitor of tyrosine phosphatases. TPA used over a wide concentration range (10⁻⁹–10⁻⁶ M) did not affect the bacterial mutagenicity of the aromatic amines and of the aromatic amide investigated, 2-aminoanthracene, 2-aminofluorene and 2-acetylaminofluorene (2AAF). At the molecular level, TPA did not affect the function of cytochrome P450s 1A1 or 1A2, which are known key factors for the activation and inactivation of aromatic amines/amides. By contrast the OA and OV treatment of rat hepatocytes, rat liver homogenate, fraction S9 and the nuclear fraction drastically reduced (by >80%) the mutagenicity of the aromatic amines/amide investigated. This is by far the most pronounced change in genotoxicity observed to date via modulation of phosphorylation. Whilst the mutagenicity of the primary toxication product 2-N-OH-acetylaminofluorene (2-N-OH-AAF) in the presence of exogenous activating systems (hepatocytes, S9-fraction, nuclear fraction) was also reduced by OV, OA had no influence. Thus the tyrosine protein phosphatase inhibitor and the serine/threonine protein phosphatase inhibitor influence the genotoxicity of aromatic amines/amides on different levels. Moreover, this shows that the drastic reduction in mutagenicity by OA was due to its influence on a step prior to the presence of the primary toxication product 2-N-OH-AAF. This reduction could be due to changes in the activity of cytochrome P4501A1 and/or 1A2. However, no incorporation of ³²P-labelled phosphate from intracellularly prelabelled [³²P]-ATP into cytochromes P450 1A1 or 1A2 nor any change in their catalytic activities was observed in the presence of OA. Furthermore, a phosphorylation dependent change in the function of P-glycoprotein (known for its role in the transport of diverse xenobiotic substances and their metabolites) was shown not to contribute to the observed decrease in mutagenicity. Our results reveal an important role for protein phosphatase 1 and/or 2A and tyrosine phosphatase(s) in the control of the genotoxicity of aromatic amines and amides. However, the present study does not distinguish between effects mediated by individual proteins affected by these protein phosphatases. Received: 30 April 1997 / Accepted: 20 May 1997     

Alterations of tau and VASP during microcystin‐LR‐induced cytoskeletal reorganization in a human liver cell line

Previously, we have reported alterations to HSP27 during Microcystin‐LR (MC‐LR)‐induced cytoskeletal reorganization in the human liver cell line HL7702. To further elucidate the detailed mechanism of MC‐LR‐induced cytoskeletal assembly, we focused on two cytoskeletal‐related proteins, Tau and VASP. These two proteins phosphorylated status influences their ability to bind and stabilize cytoskeleton. We found that MC‐LR markedly increased the level of Tau phosphorylation with the dissociation of phosphorylated Tau from the cytoskeleton. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of Tau induced by MC‐LR was suppressed by an activator of PP2A and by an inhibitor of p38 MAPK. VASP was also hyperphosphorylated upon MC‐LR exposure; however, its phosphorylation appeared to regulate its cellular localization rather than cytoskeletal dynamics, and its phosphorylation was unaffected by the PP2A activator. These data suggest that phosphorylated Tau is regulated by p38 MAPK, possibly as a consequence of PP2A inhibition. Tau hyperphosphorylation is likely an important factor leading to the cytoskeletal destabilization triggered by MC‐LR and the role of VASP alteration upon MC‐LR exposure needs to be studied further. To our knowledge, the finding that Tau is implicated in cytoskeletal destabilization in MC‐LR‐treated hepatocytes and MC‐LR‐induced VASP's alteration has not been reported previously. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 30: 92–100, 2015.     

Hepatic toxicity and persistence of ser/thr protein phosphatase inhibition by microcystin in the little skate Raja erinacea

Microcystin-induced ser/thr protein phosphatase (PP) inhibition and toxicity were examined in the little skate (Raja erinacea), an evolutionarily primitive marine vertebrate. As in mammals, PP inhibition and toxicity were exclusively hepatocellular, but were much more persistent in the skate. A dose of 63 microg/kg given iv to adult male skates resulted in the near complete inhibition of hepatic PP activity at 24 h. PP activity was still 95% inhibited 7 days after dosing in skates given 125 microg/kg microcystin. Mortality occurred at doses of 500 microg/kg or more. Hepatic lesions were only seen in animals with fully inhibited PP activity in liver. The histological changes seen at 125 microg/kg were mild periportal inflammatory changes increasing in severity together with hepatocyte necrosis at higher doses of microcystin. Microcystin persisted and could be detected in plasma up to 7 days after dosing. This finding shows that, in the skate, as in mammals, the liver is the only organ capable of uptake of microcystin, since there was no significant inhibition of PP activity in the rectal gland and small decreases in PP activity of the kidney that were not time or dose dependent. In vitro microcystin caused dose-dependent inhibition of PP activity in isolated skate hepatocytes, while it was without effect in cultured rectal glands. Uptake of microcystin and the accompanying inhibition of PP activity in skate hepatocytes was prevented by the addition of a series of organic dyes and bile acids. The spectrum of inhibitors of microcystin uptake in skate is similar to that seen in the rat, indicating common features of the carrier(s) in these diverse species.     

Primary cultures of adult mouse and rat hepatocytes for studying the metabolism of foreign chemicals

A primary hepatocyte culture was developed as a model system to investigate the metabolism of foreign chemicals. Hepatocytes were prepared from adult male Charles River CD-1 mice and adult male Sprague-Dawley rats by in situ pre-perfusion of the liver with ethyleneglycol-bis-(β-amino-ethyl ether) N, N′-tetra-acetic acid (EGTA) followed by perfusion with calcium and collagenase. The digested liver was dispersed, and hepatocytes were isolated by filtration and differential centrifugation yielding 10⁸ hepatocytes per mouse liver and 5 × 10⁸ hepatocytes per rat liver. More than 90 per cent of the hepatocytes excluded trypan blue. Hepatocytes were prepared aseptically, plated on tissue culture dishes coated with rodent tail collagen (2.5 × 10⁶ cells/60 mm dish), and cultured in serum-free modified Waymouth's medium. Within 4hr the hepatocytes attached to the collagen, and by 24 hr they had flattened and formed a monolayer. A non-metabolizable alanine analog, α-aminoisobutyric acid, accumulated in mouse hepatocytes with peak incorporation occurring at 24 hr. Cultured mouse and rat hepatocytes were able to N-demethylate para-chloro-N-methylaniline (PCMA). An NADPH-generating system stimulated N-demethylation 2.75-fold in freshly isolated mouse hepatocytes, but did not stimulate metabolism in cultured mouse hepatocytes. SKF 525-A inhibited PCMA N-demethylation in cultured mouse hepatocytes with an I₅₀ of 3.75 × 10^?5 M. Hormonal supplementation of the culture medium stimulated PCMA metabolism measured in 24- and 48-hr cultures. These studies demonstrate the utility of rodent hepatocyte cultures as models of hepatic metabolism of foreign chemicals.