ROLE OF HEPATIC COPPER-METALLOTHIONEIN ON LIVER-FUNCTION OF LONG-EVANS CINNAMON RATS WITH A NEW MUTATION CAUSING HEREDITARY HEPATITIS

Liver slices from Wistar and Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats were incub ated while open to the atmosphere to assess the liver function in LEC rats. Leakages of glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) and lactic d ehydrogenase (LDH) into the medium were significantly lower in the LEC rat than in the Wistar rat. Furthermore, no pronounced enhancement of the concentration of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) was found in the LEC rat. Hepatic Cu and Cu-metallothionein (Cu-MT) co ncentrations were 355.0+/18.7 mu g/g liver and 2559+/-181 mu g/g prote in in the LEC rats, whereas Wistar rats showed 4.1+/-0.1 Cu mu g/g liv er accompanied by 16+/-4 mu g/g protein of MT. The decrease of intrahe patic Cu-MT in LEC rats was stimulated by incubation with Fenitrilotri acetate (Fe-NTA). There was a direct correlation between the enhanceme nt of TBARS and disappearance of Cu-MT. Our results suggest that hepat ic Cu-MT in LEC rats protects against liver injury stimulated by oxida tive stress.