Regulatory mechanisms of alpha-fetoprotein production in injured rat liver.

The role of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-suppressing factor(s) in the increased production of AFP in liver injury was investigated with carbon tetrachloride and ethionine-treated rats. Elevated concentrations of serum AFP induced by these treatments decreased upon administration of prednisolone. However, injections of methionine and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), which significantly accelerated the rapid fall of serum AFP levels after birth, produced no such effects on increased AFP levels in hepatic injury. This ineffectiveness of methionine and ATP may suggests that their metabolisms are impaired in the injured liver.