[An experimental study on the protective effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) for the primary cultured...

Pathological iron deposition in liver is often found in various liver diseases. The deposited iron is thought to be one of the most important factor of liver cell injury, not only in hemochromotosis but also in cirrhosis following hepatitis virus B or C infection. To investigate the influence of the deposited iron on damage and regeneration of hepatocyte, primary cultured hepatocytes obtained from carbonyl iron-loaded rats were treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in the presence or absence of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). Although the section of liver from carbonyl iron-loaded rats showed no necrosis and fibrosis, iron-loaded hepatocytes contained about twofold more iron than control. The damage of iron-loaded hepatocytes induced by CCl4 was more serious than that of control, and HGF decreased this injury only in iron-loaded hepatocytes but not in control. There is no difference in DNA synthesis stimulated by HGF between iron-loaded hepatocytes and control. These findings suggest that the pathological iron deposition induces the fragility of hepatocyte and that cytoprotective effect of HGF is induced by this pathological iron.