Cytotoxicity of naphthylisothiocyanates in rat hepatocyte-neutrophil cocultures

Evaluation of Nano-curcumin effects against Tartrazine-induced abnormalities in liver and kidney histology and other biochemical parameters

In the current study, 40 albino male rats were investigated to evaluate the impact of Nano-curcumin (Nano-CUR) administration against Tartrazine (TZ)-induced variations in kidney and liver histology and their related functions. The liver function biomarkers are (glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyl transaminase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (T. BiLL)), whereas the kidney biomarkers are (creatinine, uric acid, urea, globulin, total protein (TP)), as well as blood parameters of (serum glucose (sGlu), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), protein Kinase-C (PKC)) and lipid profiles that include (total lipids (TL), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density L-C (HDL-C), and very-low-density L-C (VLDL-C)). The collected rats were randomly separated into four different groups (G1, G2, G3, and G4) of 10 rats each, where G1 stands for control, G2 for TZ-ingestion, G3 for Nano-CUR-ingestion, and G4 for (TZ + Nano-CUR mix.) ingestion. TZ-ingestion significantly (p < .05) increases the liver function enzymes' activity, total bilirubin and kidney biomarkers (creatinine, urea, uric acid, total protein (TP), globulin (Glu)). Also, TZ-ingestion significantly increased sGlu, PKC, AFP, as well as lipid profiles, while there were significant (p < .05) decreases in HDL-C and albumin (Alb) concentrations compared to control. Histopathological changes in liver, such as dilatation of blood sinusoids and central vein with hemorrhage and necrosis, were observed due to TZ-ingestion. Similarly, TZ-ingestion influenced kidney tissues in terms of tubular dilatation with tubular degeneration, thickened basement membrane, and dilatation of the glomerular capillaries. Markedly, the administration of Nano-CUR significantly decreased liver and kidney function enzymes as well as sGlu, AFP, and PKC, whereas it significantly increased serum Alb and HDL-C levels compared to control and TZ-ingested rats. All values arranged around normal control values. Also, the liver tissue of Nano-CUR-ingested rats showed a normal arrangement of normal blood sinusoids(s), hepatic cords, and hepatocytes as compared to controls. The same results were also found in the section of rat kidney ingested with 2.00 g of Nano-CUR/(kg B.W.) showing near-normal architecture as compared to control rats. The liver tissue of rats ingested by a mixture of (7.5 mg of TZ + 2.0 g of Nano-CUR/kg B.W.) showed little necrosis. Similarly, a section of rat kidney ingested a mixture of (7.5 mg of TZ + 2.00 g of Nano-CUR/kg B.W.) which revealed mild tubular degeneration and dilatation of the glomerular capillaries. These results support the protective and therapeutic effects of Nano-CUR on the histology of liver and kidneys and their related function biomarkers. Also, Nano-CUR corrects the imbalance in serum glucose (sGlu), AFP, PKC, and lipid profiles in TZ-ingested rats compared to control.

Acute ANIT toxicity in male IL-10 knockout and wild-type mice

The innate immune response is known to modify hepatocellular injury induced by toxicants. To assess the role of IL-10, a component of the innate immune response, in toxicant-induced injury of biliary epithelium, wild-type (WT) and IL-10 knockout mice (KO) were given a single toxic dose (50 mg/kg) of alpha-napthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) and assessed at twenty-four-hour intervals for four days following treatment. Clinical signs of toxicity were greater in WT mice. Unexpectedly, over the course of the study, there was a consistent tendency for ANIT-treated IL-10 KO mice to have less hepatocellular injury than WT mice. However, changes in the biliary epithelium differed in that there was more histologic evidence of inflammation and necrosis on days 2 and 3, respectively, in ANIT-treated IL-10 KO mice compared with WT mice. Proliferation of biliary epithelium and hepatocytes was greater and/or occurred earlier in the ANIT-treated IL-10 KO mice compared with the ANIT-treated WT mice, suggesting a greater reparative response was needed for recovery after toxicant injury in the IL-10 KO mice. Overall, our data suggest that IL-10 KO mice have less hepatocellular injury than WT mice following a toxic dose of ANIT and that biliary epithelial injury is accentuated in the KO mice.

Characterization of ANIT-induced toxicity using precision-cut rat and dog liver slices cultured in a dynamic organ roller system

This article describes the toxicity of alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT), a compound known to induce dose-dependent hepatobiliary toxicity in vivo, using the slice model. Liver slices (200 microm thick) from male Sprague-Dawley rats and male beagle dogs were cultured for 7 days while exposed to a range of ANIT concentrations (1- 100 microM for rat and 4-320 microM for dog). Tissues (and medium for dog) were evaluated using a panel of clinically relevant biomarkers for liver and histological endpoints to assess viability and proliferation. ANIT increased slice levels of enzyme biomarkers corresponding to biliary markers. At high concentrations (80-100 microM for rat, 320 microM for dog) a diminution of tissue enzyme levels was observed, corresponding to severe hepatobiliary injury. By days 5 and 7, biochemical markers in the medium of dog slices indicated an elevation of hepatocellular and biliary markers. Histologically for both species, minimal hepatocellular injury was noted, but proliferation of biliary epithelial cells (BEC) was observed using 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunostaining. In rat slices, ANIT increased the expression of inducible nitrous oxide synthase (iNOS) within 12 hrs of exposure. In summary, additional experimentation using slice culture may further demonstrate its value in screening compounds that cause hepatobiliary toxicity.

ANIT toxicity toward mouse hepatocytes in vivo is mediated primarily by neutrophils via CD18

Alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) is a hepatotoxicant that causes acute cholestatic hepatitis with infiltration of neutrophils around bile ducts and necrotic hepatocytes. The objective of this study was to determine whether the beta2-integrin CD18, which plays an important role in leukocyte invasion and cytotoxicity, contributes to ANIT-induced hepatic inflammation and liver injury. Mice with varying levels of leukocyte CD18 expression were treated with ANIT and monitored for hepatic neutrophil influx and liver injury over 48 h. Mice that were partially deficient in CD18 (30% of normal levels) developed periportal inflammation and widespread hepatic necrosis after ANIT treatment in a pattern identical to that in wild-type (WT) mice. In contrast, mice that completely lack CD18 (CD18 null) were resistant to ANIT toxicity. Forty-eight hours after ANIT, CD18-null mice displayed 60% lower serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and 75% less hepatic necrosis, as shown by morphometry, than WT mice. This was true despite evidence that ANIT still provoked hepatic neutrophil influx in CD18-null mice. WT mice could also be protected from ANIT-induced hepatocellular necrosis, by depleting the animals of neutrophils. Notably, neither CD18-null mice nor neutrophil-depleted WT mice exhibited any attenuation of bile duct injury or cholestasis due to ANIT. We conclude from these experiments that neutrophils invade ANIT-treated livers in a CD18-independent fashion but utilize CD18 to induce hepatocellular cytotoxicity. The results emphasize that neutrophil-mediated amplification of ANIT-induced liver injury is directed toward hepatocytes rather than cholangiocytes. In fact, the data indicate that the majority of ANIT toxicity toward hepatocytes in vivo is neutrophil driven.

Dietary organic isothiocyanates are cytotoxic in human breast cancer MCF-7 and mammary epithelial MCF-12A cell lines

Organic isothiocyanates (ITCs) are dietary components present in cruciferous vegetables. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the cytotoxicity of 1-naphthyl isothiocyanate (NITC), benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), beta-phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), and sulforaphane in human breast cancer MCF-7 and human mammary epithelium MCF-12A cell lines, as well as in a second human epithelial cell line, human kidney HK-2 cells. The cytotoxicity of NITC, BITC, PEITC, and sulforaphane, as well as the cytotoxicity of the chemotherapeutic agents daunomycin (DNM) and vinblastine (VBL), were examined in MCF-7/sensitive (wt), MCF-7/Adr (which overexpresses P-glycoprotein), MCF-12A, and HK-2 cells. Cell growth was determined by a sulforhodamine B assay. The IC50 values for DNM and VBL in MCF-7/Adr cells were 7.12 +/- 0.42 microM and 0.106 +/- 0.004 microM (mean +/- SE) following a 48-hr exposure; IC50 values for BITC, PEITC, NITC, and sulforaphane were 5.95 +/- 0.10, 7.32 +/- 0.25, 77.9 +/- 8.03, and 13.7 +/- 0.82 microM, respectively, with similar values obtained in MCF-7/wt cells. Corresponding values for BITC, PEITC, NITC, and sulforaphane in MCF-12A cells were 8.07 +/- 0.29, 7.71 +/- 0.07, 33.6 +/- 1.69, and 40.5 +/- 1.25 microM, respectively. BITC and PEITC can inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells as well as human mammary epithelium cells at concentrations similar to those of the chemotherapeutic drug DNM. Sulforaphane and NITC exhibited higher IC50 values. The effect of these ITCs on cell growth may contribute to the cancer chemopreventive properties of ITCs by suppressing the growth of preclinical tumors, and may indicate a potential use of these compounds as chemotherapeutic agents in cancer treatment.