Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 25, 2025

Using Multi-fluorinated Bile Acids and In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Measure Bile Acid Transport
Published on: November 27, 2016
Effects of psoralen on hepatic bile acid transporters in rats
Juyang Huang1, Qin Wang2, Mengying Chen2
1School of Integrative Medicine, 58301Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Abstract:
Fructus Psoraleae (FP), widely used in traditional medicine, is increasingly reported to cause serious hepatotoxicity in recent years. However, the main toxic constituents responsible for hepatotoxicity and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In the present study, psoralen, a main and quality-control constituent of FP, was intragastrically administered to Sprague-Dawley rats at a dose of 60 mg/kg for 1, 3 and 7 days. Blood and selected tissue samples were collected and analyzed for biochemistry and histopathology to evaluate hepatotoxicity. The results showed that psoralen could induce hepatotoxicity by enhanced liver-to-body weight ratio and alterations of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and total cholesterol after administration for 3 days. In addition, histopathological examinations also indicated the hepatotoxicity induced by psoralen. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of hepatic bile acid transporters were significantly changed, in which MRP4, ABCG5 and ABCG8 were repressed, while the protein level of NTCP tended to increase in the rat liver. Taken together, psoralen caused liver injury possibly through affecting bile acid transporters, leading to the disorder of bile acid transport and accumulation in hepatocytes.
More Related Videos
13:17The Mesenteric Lymph Duct Cannulated Rat Model: Application to the Assessment of Intestinal Lymphatic Drug Transport
Published on: March 6, 2015
10:38In Vivo Alkaline Comet Assay and Enzyme-modified Alkaline Comet Assay for Measuring DNA Strand Breaks and Oxidative DNA Damage in Rat Liver
Published on: May 4, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Incorporating Hepatic Transporter-Mediated Clearance
A recent model describes pravastatin's hepatobiliary excretion,...
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Pathophysiologic Assessment and Liver Function Test
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Drug Dosing and Hepatic Blood Flow
Hepatic Drug Excretion: Influencing Factors
Hepatic Drug Clearance: Role of Transporters