Effect of central urocortin on carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in rats

The effect of intracisternal injection of urocortin, an endogenous ligand f or corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) 2 receptor, on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver injury was investigated in rats. Intracisternal injection of urocortin dose-dependently enhanced elevation of serum alanin e aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels induced by CCl4. I ntracisternal urocortin also aggravated CCl4-induced histological changes o f the liver. The aggravating effect of central urocortin on CCl4-induced ac ute liver injury was abolished by chemical sympathectomy, but not by vagoto my. These data demonstrate that urocortin acts in the brain to exacerbate a cute liver injury through the sympathetic nervous system and suggest a poss ible involvement of the CRF2 receptor in the central CRF-induced exacerbati on of acute liver injury in rats. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Al l rights reserved.