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Floreani A, Gabbia D, De Martin S. Update on the Pharmacological Treatment of Primary Biliary Cholangitis. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10082033. [PMID: 36009580 PMCID: PMC9405864 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10082033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the first-line therapy used for the treatment of PBC. In recent years, new pharmacological agents have been proposed for PBC therapy to cure UDCA-non-responders. Obeticholic acid (OCA) is registered in many countries for PBC, and fibrates also seem to be effective in ameliorating biochemistry alteration and symptoms typical of PBC. Moreover, a variety of new agents, acting with different mechanisms of action, are under clinical evaluation for PBC treatment, including PPAR agonists, anti-NOX agents, immunomodulators, and mesenchymal stem cell transplantation. Since an insufficient amount of data is currently available about the effect of these novel approaches on robust clinical endpoints, such as transplant-free survival, their clinical approval needs to be supported by the consistent improvement of these parameters. The intensive research in this field will hopefully lead to a novel treatment landscape for PBC in the near future, with innovative therapies based on the combination of multiple agents acting on different pathogenetic mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annarosa Floreani
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
- IRCCS Negrar, 37024 Verona, Italy
| | - Daniela Gabbia
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Sara De Martin
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Wang C, Shi Y, Wang X, Ma H, Liu Q, Gao Y, Niu J. Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors Regulate Hepatic Immunity and Assist in the Treatment of Primary Biliary Cholangitis. Front Immunol 2022; 13:940688. [PMID: 35880178 PMCID: PMC9307989 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.940688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fibrates, which are agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha, have received increasing attention in the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis. Reduced alkaline phosphatase levels and improved clinical outcomes were observed in patients with primary biliary cholangitis with an inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) monotherapy4 when treated with bezafibrate or fenofibrate combined with UDCA. In contrast to obeticholic acid, which exacerbates pruritus in patients, fibrates have been shown to relieve pruritus. Clinical trial outcomes show potential for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis by targeting peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. It is currently agreed that primary biliary cholangitis is an autoimmune-mediated cholestatic liver disease, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor is a nuclear receptor that regulates the functions of multiple immune cells, thus playing an important role in regulating innate and adaptive immunity. Therefore, this review focuses on the immune disorder of primary biliary cholangitis and summarizes the regulation of hepatic immunity when peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors are targeted for treating primary biliary cholangitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Wang
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Department of Gastroenterology, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ying Shi
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Center of Infectious Disease and Pathogen Biology, Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Zoonotic Disease, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xiaomei Wang
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Center of Infectious Disease and Pathogen Biology, Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Zoonotic Disease, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Heming Ma
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Center of Infectious Disease and Pathogen Biology, Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Zoonotic Disease, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Quan Liu
- Institute of Translational Medicine, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yanhang Gao
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Center of Infectious Disease and Pathogen Biology, Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Zoonotic Disease, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Yanhang Gao, ; Junqi Niu,
| | - Junqi Niu
- Department of Hepatology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Center of Infectious Disease and Pathogen Biology, Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Transplantation of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Zoonotic Disease, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- *Correspondence: Yanhang Gao, ; Junqi Niu,
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Thérien A, Cieślak A, Verreault M, Perreault M, Trottier J, Gobeil S, Vohl MC, Barbier O. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid: A Pharmaco-Nutraceutical Approach to Improve the Responsiveness to Ursodeoxycholic Acid. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13082617. [PMID: 34444777 PMCID: PMC8400581 DOI: 10.3390/nu13082617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is the first line therapy for the treatment of cholestatic and autoimmune liver diseases. Its clinical use is currently limited by a significant proportion of non-responder patients. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) possess important anti-inflammatory properties and protect liver cells against bile acid (BA)-induced toxicity. The present study was designed to rapidly evaluate whether combining n-3 PUFAs (i.e., eicosapentaenoic [EPA] and docosahexaenoic [DHA] acids) to UDCA would provide additional benefits when compared to the drug alone. The parameters evaluated were (i) the expression of genes governing BA synthesis, transport, and metabolism; (ii) the prevention of BA-induced apoptosis and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress; and (iii) the control of BA- and LPS-dependent inflammation. In the absence of n-3 PUFAs, most of the parameters investigated were unaffected by UDCA or were only altered by the higher dose (500 µM) of the drug. By contrast, in the presence of EPA/DHA (50/50 µM), all parameters showed a strongly improved response and the lowest UDCA dosage (50 µM) provided equal or better benefits than the highest dose used alone. For example, the combination EPA/DHA + UDCA 50 µM caused comparable down-regulation of the CYP7A1 gene expression and of the BA-induced caspase 3 activity as observed with UDCA 500 µM. In conclusion, these results suggest that the addition of n-3 PUFAs to UDCA may improve the response to the drug, and that such a pharmaco-nutraceutical approach could be used in clinic to open the narrow therapeutic dose of UDCA in cholestatic liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Thérien
- CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (A.T.); (A.C.); (M.V.); (M.P.); (J.T.); (S.G.)
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Anna Cieślak
- CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (A.T.); (A.C.); (M.V.); (M.P.); (J.T.); (S.G.)
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Mélanie Verreault
- CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (A.T.); (A.C.); (M.V.); (M.P.); (J.T.); (S.G.)
| | - Martin Perreault
- CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (A.T.); (A.C.); (M.V.); (M.P.); (J.T.); (S.G.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Trottier
- CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (A.T.); (A.C.); (M.V.); (M.P.); (J.T.); (S.G.)
| | - Stéphane Gobeil
- CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (A.T.); (A.C.); (M.V.); (M.P.); (J.T.); (S.G.)
- Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Marie-Claude Vohl
- Centre Nutrition, Santé et Société (NUTRISS), Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada;
| | - Olivier Barbier
- CHU de Québec Research Center, Québec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada; (A.T.); (A.C.); (M.V.); (M.P.); (J.T.); (S.G.)
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre Nutrition, Santé et Société (NUTRISS), Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada;
- Correspondence:
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Petrescu AD, DeMorrow S. Farnesoid X Receptor as Target for Therapies to Treat Cholestasis-Induced Liver Injury. Cells 2021; 10:cells10081846. [PMID: 34440614 PMCID: PMC8392259 DOI: 10.3390/cells10081846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies on liver disease burden worldwide estimated that cirrhosis is the 11th most common cause of death globally, and there is a great need for new therapies to limit the progression of liver injuries in the early stages. Cholestasis is caused by accumulation of hydrophobic bile acids (BA) in the liver due to dysfunctional BA efflux or bile flow into the gall bladder. Therefore, strategies to increase detoxification of hydrophobic BA and downregulate genes involved in BA production are largely investigated. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) has a central role in BA homeostasis and recent publications revealed that changes in autophagy due to BA-induced reactive oxygen species and increased anti-oxidant response via nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (NRF2), result in dysregulation of FXR signaling. Several mechanistic studies have identified new dysfunctions of the cholestatic liver at cellular and molecular level, opening new venues for developing more performant therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anca D. Petrescu
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA;
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Sharon DeMorrow
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA;
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, Temple, TX 78712, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-512-495-5779
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Wu H, Chen C, Ziani S, Nelson LJ, Ávila MA, Nevzorova YA, Cubero FJ. Fibrotic Events in the Progression of Cholestatic Liver Disease. Cells 2021; 10:cells10051107. [PMID: 34062960 PMCID: PMC8147992 DOI: 10.3390/cells10051107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cholestatic liver diseases including primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are associated with active hepatic fibrogenesis, which can ultimately lead to the development of cirrhosis. However, the exact relationship between the development of liver fibrosis and the progression of cholestatic liver disease remains elusive. Periductular fibroblasts located around the bile ducts seem biologically different from hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The fibrotic events in these clinical conditions appear to be related to complex crosstalk between immune/inflammatory mechanisms, cytokine signalling, and perturbed homeostasis between cholangiocytes and mesenchymal cells. Several animal models including bile duct ligation (BDL) and the Mdr2-knockout mice have improved our understanding of mechanisms underlying chronic cholestasis. In the present review, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms of fibrosis in order to help to identify potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanghang Wu
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology & ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (H.W.); (C.C.); (S.Z.); (Y.A.N.)
| | - Chaobo Chen
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology & ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (H.W.); (C.C.); (S.Z.); (Y.A.N.)
- Health Research Institute Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), 28007 Madrid, Spain
- Department of General Surgery, Wuxi Xishan People’s Hospital, Wuxi 214000, China
| | - Siham Ziani
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology & ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (H.W.); (C.C.); (S.Z.); (Y.A.N.)
| | - Leonard J. Nelson
- Institute for Bioengineering (IBioE), School of Engineering, Faraday Building, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3 JL, Scotland, UK;
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering (IB3), School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS), Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland, UK
| | - Matías A. Ávila
- Hepatology Program, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain;
- Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red, Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias de Navarra IdiSNA, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Yulia A. Nevzorova
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology & ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (H.W.); (C.C.); (S.Z.); (Y.A.N.)
- Health Research Institute Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), 28007 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red, Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Francisco Javier Cubero
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology & ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, 28040 Madrid, Spain; (H.W.); (C.C.); (S.Z.); (Y.A.N.)
- Health Research Institute Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), 28007 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red, Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-91-394-1385; Fax: +34-91-394-1641
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