Figure 1. Hepatic overexpression of cPLA₂α prevents Fas-induced liver injury.

The cPLA₂α Tg mice and their age/sex-matched wild type mice were injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of purified hamster anti-mouse Fas monoclonal antibody Jo2 (0.5 μg/g body weight) to induce hepatocyte apoptosis. (A) Survival curve of wild type and cPLA₂α Tg mice after Jo2 injection. The cPLA₂α Tg (n=10) and wild type mice (n=10) at 8-10 weeks of age received an intraperitoneal injection of Jo2 and the animals were closely monitored for activity and survival. (B) Gross photographs of liver taken 4 hours and 6 hours after Jo2 injection. The livers of wild type mice turned to dark red after Jo2 injection because of massive hepatic hemorrhage, which was observed at 4 hour and became much more prominent at 6 h. In contrast, the livers of cPLA₂α Tg mice were completely normal at 4 h and became slightly red at 6 h. (C) Serum levels of ALT and AST at 4 h and 6 h after Jo2 injection. Blood samples were collected and sera were separated for transaminase analysis. The cPLA₂α Tg mice show significantly lower serum ALT and AST levels than the wild type mice after Jo2 treatment. The data are expressed as mean ±SD from 6 mice (*p<0.01 vs. corresponding cPLA₂α Tg mice, Student’s t test).