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eCAM 2006 3(1):93-98; doi:10.1093/ecam/nel002
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© The Author (2006). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved
The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article for non-commercial purposes provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated. For commercial re-use, please contact journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Evaluation of Medicinal Plant Hepatotoxicity in Co-cultures of Hepatocytes and Monocytes

Bashar Saad1,2, Suha Dakwar1, Omar Said1, Ghassan Abu-Hijleh2, Feras Al Battah2, Abedelsalam Kmeel2 and Hassan Aziazeh1

1Research and Development Regional Center (affiliated with Haifa University, Haifa Israel)—The Galilee Society PO Box 437, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel, and 2Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, The Arab American University Jenin PO Box 240, Jenin, Palestine

Non-parenchymal cells might play an important role in the modulation of xenobiotic metabolism in liver and its pharmacological and toxicological consequences. Therefore, the role of cell-to-cell interactions in herbal induced liver toxicity was investigated in monocultures of cells from the human hepatocyte cell line (HepG2) and in co-cultures of cells from the HepG2 cell line and cells from the human monocyte cell line (THP1). Cells were treated with various concentrations (1–500 µg ml–1) of extracts of Pistacia palaestina, Juglans regia and Quercus ithaburensis for 24 h. Extracts from Cleome droserifolia, a known toxic plant, were taken as positive control. In the co-culture system, toxic effects were observed after exposure to extracts of Pistacia palestina and C. droserifolia. These two extracts significantly reduced by cell viability as measured the MTT test and the LDH assay. Whereas in hepatocyte cultures, only extracts of C. droserifolia were found to affect the cell viability. The production levels of albumin from hepatocytes were not affected by treatment with plant extracts in both culture systems. It seems that the observed reduction in cell viability after exposure to extracts of P. palestina in co-cultures but not in monocultures is a result of monocyte-derived factors. The use of liver cell co-cultures is therefore a useful approach to investigate the influence of intercellular communication on xenobiotic metabolism in liver.

Keywords: biosafety – co-cultures – hepatocyte – in vitro – medicinal plants

For reprints and all correspondence: Prof. Dr Bashar Saad, Research and Development Regional Center—The Galilee Society, PO Box 437, Shefa Amr 20200, Israel. Tel: +972-4-950-45-23; Fax: +972-4-950-45-25; E-mail: bsaad{at}gal-soc.org


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