Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones critical for cell survival under adverse environmental conditions and for normal cellular homeostasis. Bicyclol, a novel antihepatitis drug, has been shown to protect against liver injury in animals. However, it is unclear how bicyclol protects against liver injury. We recently found that bicyclol is an inducer of HSPs. We wondered whether bic...

Drug-induced liver injury is a frequent side effect of many drugs, constitutes a significant threat to patient health and has an enormous economic impact on health care expenditures. Numerous efforts have been made to identify reliable and predictive markers to detect the early signs of drug-induced injury to the liver, one of the most vulnerable organs in the body. These studies have, however,...

Methimazole is the most widely prescribed antithyroid medication in humans. However, hepatotoxicity is a deleterious adverse effect associated with methimazole administration. No specific protective agent has been developed against this complication yet. This study was designed to investigate the role of taurine as a hepatoprotective agent against methimazole-induced liver injury in mice. Diffe...

Drug-induced hepatotoxicity is a significant and still unresolved clinical problem. The limitation in current knowledge regarding mechanisms of hepatic toxicity renders most of the preclinical review process failing and most of drug-induced hepatic injury remains unpredictable. Current knowledge on the mechanisms of drug-induced liver cell death is reviewed here. The intervention of both intra-...

Halothane is an inhaled, general anesthetic that causes a rare form of severe liver injury by a two-step process. Initial exposure to halothane leads to formation of hepatic trifluoroacetylated protein-adducts (TFAPA) of this drug. These adducts cause hepatocyte injury by an unknown mechanism, resulting in their release into liver tissue and blood circulation, where they come in contact with ce...