Background::Although osteopontin (OPN) is expressed in the liver and pigment gallstones of patients with hepatolithiasis, its role in pigment gallstone formation remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the function of OPN in pigment gallstone formation.Methods::Rats were fed a chow diet (CD) or lithogenic diet (LD) for 10 consecutive weeks; blocking tests were then performed using an OPN antibody (OPN-Ab). Incidence of gallstones and levels of several bile components, OPN, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) were analyzed. To determine TNF-α expression in hepatic macrophages and both CYP7A1 and bile acid (BA) expression in liver cells, recombinant rat OPN and recombinant rat TNF-α were used to treat rat hepatic macrophages and rat liver cells, respectively. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests were used to analyze qualitative data, Student t-test or one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze qualitative data. Results::Incidence of gallstones

作者：Jin Chang-Guo；Jiang Feng-Ru；Zhang Jie；Ma Jun-Ren；Ling Xiao-Feng

来源：中华医学杂志英文版 2021 年 134卷 9期