Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • Sex Differences in Medicine (Sep 2024)
    • Vascular Malformations (Apr 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Top
  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal
  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Advertisement

Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI108746

The Rate of Synthesis of Glycosaminoglycans and Collagen by Fibroblasts Cultured from Adult Human Liver Biopsies

John T. Galambos, Martin A. Hollingsworth Jr., Arthur Falek, W. Dean Warren, and J. R. McCain

Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Laboratory of Human and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Department of Surgery, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Georgia Mental Health Institute, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Find articles by Galambos, J. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Laboratory of Human and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Department of Surgery, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Georgia Mental Health Institute, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Find articles by Hollingsworth, M. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Laboratory of Human and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Department of Surgery, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Georgia Mental Health Institute, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Find articles by Falek, A. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Laboratory of Human and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Department of Surgery, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Georgia Mental Health Institute, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Find articles by Warren, W. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Division of Digestive Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Laboratory of Human and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Department of Surgery, Emory University of School of Medicine, Grady Memorial and Emory University Hospitals, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Georgia Mental Health Institute, Atlanta, Georgia 30303

Find articles by McCain, J. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published July 1, 1977 - More info

Published in Volume 60, Issue 1 on July 1, 1977
J Clin Invest. 1977;60(1):107–114. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI108746.
© 1977 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published July 1, 1977 - Version history
View PDF
Abstract

Adult human liver biopsies were cultured from normal, alcoholic hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis, fibrosis plus alcoholic hepatitis (active cirrhosis), inactive cirrhosis, and drug hepatitis. The synthesis of collagen was estimated in cultures from 58 livers by measuring the conversion of [14C]proline to the [14C]hydroxyproline of collagen; that of glycosaminoglycans in cultures from 57 livers by the incorporation of [3H]acetate and 35SO4 into glycosaminoglycans (GAG). The synthesis of procollagen was increased only in cultures from alcoholic hepatitis, both in the pulse medium (P < 0.05) and in the chase medium (P < 0.02). The synthesis of insoluble collagen was increased in cultures from chronic (active) hepatitis (P < 0.01), fibrosis plus alcoholic hepatitis (active cirrhosis) (P < 0.001), and inactive cirrhosis (P < 0.05). Essentially all radioactive GAG was soluble in culture media. The predominant GAG were chondroitin-4 or -6-SO4. The synthesis of GAG was increased only in cultures from fibrosis plus alcoholic hepatitis (active cirrhosis) both in the pulse medium (P < 0.01) and chase medium (P < 0.001).

The data indicate that in the absence of immuno-competent cells or their secretory products, tissue cultures from livers showing biopsy evidence of active fibrosis in vivo may demonstrate increased synthesis of collagen and GAG in vitro. Increased (soluble) procollagen synthesis in cultures from alcoholic hepatitis was not associated with histologically demonstrable overt hepatic fibrosis in vivo, nor was it associated with increased GAG synthesis in vitro. No significant difference was demonstrable in collagen or GAG synthesis in paired cultures which contained either 300 mg/dl ethanol or 3.75 mg/dl methylprednisolone compared to their respective controls.

Browse pages

Click on an image below to see the page. View PDF of the complete article

icon of scanned page 107
page 107
icon of scanned page 108
page 108
icon of scanned page 109
page 109
icon of scanned page 110
page 110
icon of scanned page 111
page 111
icon of scanned page 112
page 112
icon of scanned page 113
page 113
icon of scanned page 114
page 114
Version history
  • Version 1 (July 1, 1977): No description

Article tools

  • View PDF
  • Download citation information
  • Send a comment
  • Terms of use
  • Standard abbreviations
  • Need help? Email the journal

Metrics

  • Article usage
  • Citations to this article

Go to

  • Top
  • Abstract
  • Version history
Advertisement
Advertisement

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts