Gene expression changes in rat lung induced by six pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are secondary plant metabolites that can be found worldwide. They can have an impact to human health by inducing acute toxic effects like veno-occlusive disease in the liver and pulmonary arterial hypertension in the lung. The study focuses on the identification of gene expression changes in vivo in rat lungs after treatment with six structurally different PAs (echimidine, heliotrine, lasiocarpine, senecionine, senkirkine or platyphylline). Rats were treated by gavage daily with 3.3 mg/kg body weight PAs for 28 days. After this subacute exposure the transcriptional changes in the lung were investigated by whole genome microarray analysis. Transcriptomic analysis with six structurally different PA heliotrine, echimidine, lasiocarpine, senecionine, senkirkine, and platyphylline after subacute treatment of rats 48 array samples (each condition: lung of four animals): Five PAs (echimidine, heliotrine, lasiocarpine, senecionine, senkirkine) + five control samples + one dose of non-toxic PA platyphylline