Morphology and Molecular Mechanisms of Hepatic Injury in Rats under Simulated Weightlessness and the Protective Effects of Resistance Training

PLoS One. 2015 May 22;10(5):e0127047. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127047. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of long-term simulated weightlessness on liver morphology, enzymes, glycogen, and apoptosis related proteins by using two-month rat-tail suspension model (TS), and liver injury improvement by rat-tail suspension with resistance training model (TS&RT). Microscopically the livers of TS rats showed massive granular degeneration, chronic inflammation, and portal fibrosis. Mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum swelling and loss of membrane integrity were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The similar, but milder, morphological changes were observed in the livers of TS&RT rats. Serum biochemistry analysis revealed that the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were significantly higher (p<0.05) in TS rats than in controls. The levels of ALT and AST in TS&RT rats were slightly lower than in RT rats, but they were insignificantly higher than in controls. However, both TS and TS&RT rats had significantly lower levels (p<0.05) of serum glucose and hepatic glycogen than in controls. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that the expressions of Bax, Bcl-2, and active caspase-3 were higher in TS rats than in TS&RT and control rats. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) showed that TS rats had higher mRNA levels (P < 0.05) of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and caspase-12 transcription than in control rats; whereas mRNA expressions of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were slightly higher in TS rats. TS&RT rats showed no significant differences of above 4 mRNAs compared with the control group. Our results demonstrated that long-term weightlessness caused hepatic injury, and may trigger hepatic apoptosis. Resistance training slightly improved hepatic damage.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alanine Transaminase / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Apoptosis / physiology
  • Aspartate Aminotransferases / metabolism
  • Caspase 12 / metabolism
  • Caspase 3 / metabolism
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism
  • Hindlimb Suspension
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Diseases / metabolism*
  • Liver Diseases / pathology
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Physical Conditioning, Animal / physiology*
  • Rats
  • Resistance Training*
  • Weightlessness Simulation*

Substances

  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • glucose-regulated proteins
  • Aspartate Aminotransferases
  • Alanine Transaminase
  • Caspase 12
  • Caspase 3

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Advanced Space Medico-Engineering Research Project of China (grant NO. SJ200802).