Increase of caspase-3 activity in rat liver and plasma by thioacetamide

Twelve and twenty-four hours after intraperitoneal administration of thioac etamide (200 mg/kg body weight) to rats, caspase-3 activity in the liver an d plasma of the treated rats increased significantly compared with that of the control group. These results demonstrated that thioacetamide caused apo ptosis, which involved activation of caspase-3, although there may be a num ber of pathways to apoptosis in the liver that may or may not involve the a ctivation of this protein. The results also indicated that the activated ca spase-3 was released in plasma along with glutamate-oxaloacetate transamina se (GOT) by successive necrosis. This is the first study that shows an incr ease of caspase-3 activity in plasma. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.