Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Generation of a Rat Model of Acute Liver Failure by Combining 70% Partial Hepatectomy and Acetaminophen
Published on: November 27, 2019
Na+/H+ exchanger inhibitor, FR183998, has protective effect in lethal acute liver failure and prevents iNOS induction
Hironori Tanaka1, Yoichiro Uchida, Masaki Kaibori
1Department of Surgery, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan.
Background/Aims:
Selective inhibition of Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) improves organ dysfunctions including heart ischemia-reperfusion injury. In vivo and in vitro studies were designed to investigate whether NHE inhibitor has a protective effect in lethal acute liver failure, and if so, what are the mechanisms involved.
Methods:
NHE inhibitor (FR183998) was administered to rats treated with d-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (GalN/LPS), or incubated with cultured hepatocytes stimulated by pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin (IL)-1beta.
Results:
FR183998 reduced the increases of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alpha, interferon-gamma and CINC-1, but enhanced the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, leading to the prevention of liver injury and increased survival rate in GalN/LPS-treated animals. FR183998 prevented the activation of transcription factor NF-kappaB induced by GalN/LPS. In vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that FR183998 reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) induction and NO production. Further FR183998 decreased levels of iNOS antisense-transcript in GalN/LPS-treated liver and IL-1beta-treated hepatocytes.
Conclusions:
FR183998 may reduce a variety of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and NO in part through the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation, resulting in the prevention of fulminant liver failure, and may inhibit iNOS gene expression at steps of iNOS promoter transactivation and its mRNA stabilization through NF-kappaB and iNOS antisense-transcript, respectively.

