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Reduced hepatic expression of glutathione s-transferases in burned mice
Tam N Pham1, Kiho Cho, Aimee J Warren
1Department of Surgery, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, California, USA.
Background:
Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) contribute to liver homeostasis and are released into plasma after liver injury. This study investigates the hepatic expression of key GST enzyme subtypes after burn injury.
Methods:
Mice were subjected to an 18% total body surface area burn. Expression of mGSTalpha3 and mGSTmu1 was analyzed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blots on liver preparations from burned and control mice. GST catalytic activity was measured by conjugation assays.
Results:
: In burned animals, mGSTalpha3 mRNA was only reduced at 1 day, whereas mGSTmu1 mRNA decreased at 1 day and at 3 days after injury. Total mGSTmu protein levels decreased at the same time points, whereas total mGSTalpha protein levels did not change. Also, by 3 days, total GST conjugation activity was reduced by 25% (p=0.05).
Conclusion:
Reduced expression of specific alpha and mu GST enzymes after burns correlates functionally with reduced GST activity. Altered GST expression may contribute to liver damage after systemic injury.
