Control of the acute-phase response. C-reactive protein synthesis by isolated perfused rabbit livers

We studied the synthesis of CRP by perfused livers that had been isolated and removed from 15 rabbits at varying intervals after tissue injury. In each instance CRP was synthesized at constant rates, for 3 to 8 hr, without need for further stimulus. Rates of CRP synthesis by perfused livers rose with increasing duration of tissue injury prior to isolation of the livers and correlated strongly with serum CRP levels attained by the time of sacrifice. The observation that CRP is synthesized by perfused livers at constant rates indicates that the continuing increase in rate of CRP synthesis that occurs in rabbits in vivo appears to depend on continuing exposure to factors of extrahepatic origin and that the consequences of exposure to such factors do not persist isolated of the organ.