Figure 5.
Effect of valproic acid on histone H3 acetylation in rat liver. Rats were treated with valproic acid (VPA; 144 mg kg−1 b.i.d.), valpromide (VPD; 143 mg kg−1 b.i.d.), butyric acid (BuA; 600 mg kg−1 b.i.d.), dexamethasone (Dex; 50 mg kg−1 b.i.d.) or methylcellulose (control). Acetylated histone H3 from liver homogenates was stained with a specific antibody. Autoradiographs were analysed by densitometry, and the optic densities (OD) values for acetylated histone H3 were normalized by the OD of β-actin (the loading control). (a) Effects of the tested compounds on acetylated histone H3 in rat liver. (b) Representative immunoblots of liver extracts for one animal from each treatment – butyric acid (BuA), dexamethasone (Dex); valproic acid (VPA) and valpromide (VPD). SW620, nuclear extract from SW620 cells, treated for 24 h with 2 mM valproic acid before lysis. Values (mean±s.e.m.) are expressed as fold increase, compared to control run in parallel. *Significantly different from control, P<0.05; n=5 or n=7 in the 2- or 7-day treatment groups, respectively.