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Khaksari M, Pourali M, Rezaei Talabon S, Gholizadeh Navashenaq J, Bashiri H, Amiresmaili S. Protective effects of 17-β-estradiol on liver injury: The role of TLR4 signaling pathway and inflammatory response. Cytokine 2024; 181:156686. [PMID: 38991382 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2024.156686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 06/23/2024] [Accepted: 06/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Liver injury, a major global health issue, stems from various causes such as alcohol consumption, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hepatitis, and certain medications. The liver's unique susceptibility to ischemia and hypoxia, coupled with the critical role of the gut-liver axis in inflammation, underscores the need for effective therapeutic interventions. The study highlights E2's interaction with estrogen receptors (ERs) and its modulation of the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway as key mechanisms in mitigating liver injury. Activation of TLR4 leads to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, exacerbating liver inflammation and injury. E2 down-regulates TLR4 expression, reduces oxidative stress, and inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines, thereby protecting the liver. Both classic (ERα and ERβ) and non-classic [G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER)] receptors are influenced by E2. ERα is particularly crucial for liver regeneration, preventing liver failure by promoting hepatocyte proliferation. Furthermore, E2 exerts anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects by inhibiting cytokines such as IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-17, and by reducing lipid peroxidation and free radical damage. The article calls for further clinical research to validate these findings and to develop estrogen-based treatments for liver injuries. Overall, the research emphasizes the significant potential of E2 as a therapeutic agent for liver injuries. It advocates for extensive clinical studies to validate E2 hepatoprotective properties and develop effective estrogen-based treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Khaksari
- Neuroscince and Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Centers, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | | | | | | | - Hamideh Bashiri
- Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Ira
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2
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Xu X, Feng J, Wang X, Zeng X, Luo Y, He X, Yang M, Lv T, Feng Z, Bao L, Zhao L, Huang D, Huang Y. Mitochondrial GRIM19 Loss Induces Liver Fibrosis through NLRP3/IL33 Activation via Reactive Oxygen Species/NF-кB Signaling. J Clin Transl Hepatol 2024; 12:539-550. [PMID: 38974954 PMCID: PMC11224902 DOI: 10.14218/jcth.2023.00562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a critical step in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Gene associated with retinoid-IFN-induced mortality 19 (GRIM19), an essential component of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I, is frequently attenuated in various human cancers, including HCC. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential relationship and underlying mechanism between GRIM19 loss and HF pathogenesis. Methods GRIM19 expression was evaluated in normal liver tissues, hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis, and HCC using human liver disease spectrum tissue microarrays. We studied hepatocyte-specific GRIM19 knockout mice and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein-9 (Cas9) lentivirus-mediated GRIM19 gene-editing in murine hepatocyte AML12 cells in vitro and in vivo. We performed flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and pharmacological intervention to uncover the potential mechanisms underlying GRIM19 loss-induced HF. Results Mitochondrial GRIM19 was progressively downregulated in chronic liver disease tissues, including hepatitis, cirrhosis, and HCC tissues. Hepatocyte-specific GRIM19 heterozygous deletion induced spontaneous hepatitis and subsequent liver fibrogenesis in mice. In addition, GRIM19 loss caused chronic liver injury through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated oxidative stress, resulting in aberrant NF-кB activation via an IKK/IкB partner in hepatocytes. Furthermore, GRIM19 loss activated NLRP3-mediated IL33 signaling via the ROS/NF-кB pathway in hepatocytes. Intraperitoneal administration of the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950 dramatically alleviated GRIM19 loss-driven HF in vivo. Conclusions The mitochondrial GRIM19 loss facilitates liver fibrosis through NLRP3/IL33 activation via ROS/NF-кB signaling, providing potential therapeutic approaches for earlier HF prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Xu
- Institute of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Chongqing, China
- Department of Cardiology, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, National Clinical Key Cardiovascular Specialty, Laboratory of Children’s Important Organ Development and Diseases of Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, Chongqing, China
| | - Jinmei Feng
- Institute of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Chongqing, China
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Western Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Xin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, Ministry of Education, Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xin Zeng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Ying Luo
- Institute of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Chongqing, China
| | - Xinyu He
- Institute of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Chongqing, China
| | - Meihua Yang
- Departments of Neurology, Epilepsy Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Tiewei Lv
- Department of Cardiology, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, National Clinical Key Cardiovascular Specialty, Laboratory of Children’s Important Organ Development and Diseases of Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, Chongqing, China
| | - Zijuan Feng
- Institute of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Chongqing, China
| | - Liming Bao
- Department of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Li Zhao
- Institute of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Chongqing, China
| | - Daochao Huang
- Institute of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatric Metabolism and Inflammatory Diseases, Chongqing, China
| | - Yi Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, National Clinical Key Cardiovascular Specialty, Laboratory of Children’s Important Organ Development and Diseases of Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, Chongqing, China
- Departments of Medicine (Oncology), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Ferrasi AC, Lima SVG, Galvani AF, Delafiori J, Dias-Audibert FL, Catharino RR, Silva GF, Praxedes RR, Santos DB, Almeida DTDM, Lima EO. Metabolomics in chronic hepatitis C: Decoding fibrosis grading and underlying pathways. World J Hepatol 2023; 15:1237-1249. [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v15.i11.1237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) affects 71 million people globally and leads to liver issues such as fibrosis, cirrhosis, cancer, and death. A better understanding and prognosis of liver involvement are vital to reduce morbidity and mortality. The accurate identification of the fibrosis stage is crucial for making treatment decisions and predicting outcomes. Tests used to grade fibrosis include histological analysis and imaging but have limitations. Blood markers such as molecular biomarkers can offer valuable insights into fibrosis.
AIM To identify potential biomarkers that might stratify these lesions and add information about the molecular mechanisms involved in the disease.
METHODS Plasma samples were collected from 46 patients with hepatitis C and classified into fibrosis grades F1 (n = 13), F2 (n = 12), F3 (n = 6), and F4 (n = 15). To ensure that the identified biomarkers were exclusive to liver lesions (CHC fibrosis), healthy volunteer participants (n = 50) were also included. An untargeted metabolomic technique was used to analyze the plasma metabolites using mass spectrometry and database verification. Statistical analyses were performed to identify differential biomarkers among groups.
RESULTS Six differential metabolites were identified in each grade of fibrosis. This six-metabolite profile was able to establish a clustering tendency in patients with the same grade of fibrosis; thus, they showed greater efficiency in discriminating grades.
CONCLUSION This study suggests that some of the observed biomarkers, once validated, have the potential to be applied as prognostic biomarkers. Furthermore, it suggests that liquid biopsy analyses of plasma metabolites are a good source of molecular biomarkers capable of stratifying patients with CHC according to fibrosis grade.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Aline Faria Galvani
- Department of Internal Medicine, Sao Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-686, Brazil
| | - Jeany Delafiori
- Innovare Biomarkers Laboratory, University of Campinas, Campinas 13083-877, Brazil
| | | | | | - Giovanni Faria Silva
- Department of Internal Medicine, Sao Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-686, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Estela Oliveira Lima
- Department of Internal Medicine, Sao Paulo State University, Botucatu 18618-686, Brazil
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Mladenović M, Astolfi R, Tomašević N, Matić S, Božović M, Sapienza F, Ragno R. In Vitro Antioxidant and In Vivo Antigenotoxic Features of a Series of 61 Essential Oils and Quantitative Composition-Activity Relationships Modeled through Machine Learning Algorithms. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:1815. [PMID: 37891894 PMCID: PMC10604248 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12101815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The antioxidant activity of essential oils (EOs) is an important and frequently studied property, yet it is not sufficiently understood in terms of the contribution of EOs mixtures' constituents and biological properties. In this study, a series of 61 commercial EOs were first evaluated as antioxidants in vitro, following as closely as possible the cellular pathways of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Hence, EOs were assessed for the ability either to chelate metal ions, thus interfering with ROS generation within the respiratory chain, or to neutralize 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) and lipid peroxide radicals (LOO•), thereby halting lipid peroxidation, as well as to neutralize 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid cation radicals (ABTS•+) and hydroxyl radicals (OH•), thereby preventing the ROS species from damaging DNA nucleotides. Showing noteworthy potencies to neutralize all of the radicals at the ng/mL level, the active EOs were also characterized as protectors of DNA double strands from damage induced by peroxyl radicals (ROO•), emerging from 2,2'-azobis-2-methyl-propanimidamide (AAPH) as a source, and OH•, indicating some genome protectivity and antigenotoxicity effectiveness in vitro. The chemical compositions of the EOs associated with the obtained activities were then analyzed by means of machine learning (ML) classification algorithms to generate quantitative composition-activity relationships (QCARs) models (models published in the AI4EssOil database available online). The QCARs models enabled us to highlight the key features (EOSs' chemical compounds) for exerting the redox potencies and to define the partial dependencies of the features, viz. percentages in the mixture required to exert a given potency. The ML-based models explained either the positive or negative contribution of the most important chemical components: limonene, linalool, carvacrol, eucalyptol, α-pinene, thymol, caryophyllene, p-cymene, eugenol, and chrysanthone. Finally, the most potent EOs in vitro, Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata (Lam.)) and Ceylon cinnamon peel (Cinnamomum verum J. Presl), were promptly administered in vivo to evaluate the rescue ability against redox damage caused by CCl4, thereby verifying their antioxidant and antigenotoxic properties either in the liver or in the kidney.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan Mladenović
- Kragujevac Center for Computational Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, P.O. Box 60, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia;
| | - Roberta Astolfi
- Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Rome Sapienza University, P. le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.A.); (F.S.)
| | - Nevena Tomašević
- Kragujevac Center for Computational Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, P.O. Box 60, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia;
| | - Sanja Matić
- Department of Science, Institute for Information Technologies Kragujevac, University of Kragujevac, Jovana Cvijića bb, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia;
| | - Mijat Božović
- Faculty of Science and Mathematics, University of Montenegro, Džordža Vašingtona bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro;
| | - Filippo Sapienza
- Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Rome Sapienza University, P. le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.A.); (F.S.)
| | - Rino Ragno
- Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Rome Sapienza University, P. le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy; (R.A.); (F.S.)
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Banerjee A, Sriramulu S, Catanzaro R, He F, Chabria Y, Balakrishnan B, Hari S, Ayala A, Muñoz M, Pathak S, Marotta F. Natural Compounds as Integrative Therapy for Liver Protection against Inflammatory and Carcinogenic Mechanisms: From Induction to Molecular Biology Advancement. Curr Mol Med 2023; 23:216-231. [PMID: 35297348 DOI: 10.2174/1566524022666220316102310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The liver is exposed to several harmful substances that bear the potential to cause excessive liver damage ranging from hepatitis and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease to extreme cases of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver ailments have been effectively treated from very old times with Chinese medicinal herbal formulations and later also applied by controlled trials in Japan. However, these traditional practices have been hardly well characterized in the past till in the last decades when more qualified studies have been carried out. Modern advances have given rise to specific molecular targets which are specifically good candidates for affecting the intricate mechanisms that play a role at the molecular level. These therapeutic regimens that mainly affect the progression of the disease by inhibiting the gene expression levels or by blocking essential molecular pathways or releasing cytokines may prove to play a vital role in minimizing the tissue damage. This review, therefore, tries to throw light upon the variation in the therapies for the treatment of benign and malignant liver disease from ancient times to the current date. Nonetheless, clinical research exploring the effectiveness of herbal medicines in the treatment of benign chronic liver diseases as well as prevention and treatment of HCC is still warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antara Banerjee
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute (CHRI), Chennai 603103, India
| | - Sushmitha Sriramulu
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute (CHRI), Chennai 603103, India
| | - Roberto Catanzaro
- Dept of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Fang He
- Dept of Nutrition, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yashna Chabria
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute (CHRI), Chennai 603103, India
| | | | - Sruthi Hari
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute (CHRI), Chennai 603103, India
| | - Antonio Ayala
- Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, Spain
| | - Mario Muñoz
- Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Surajit Pathak
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute (CHRI), Chennai 603103, India
| | - Francesco Marotta
- ReGenera R&D International for Aging Intervention, Milano, Italy and Vitality and Longevity Medical Science Commission, FEMTEC World Federation
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Miatmoko A, Faradisa AA, Jauhari AA, Hariawan BS, Cahyani DM, Plumeriastuti H, Sari R, Hendradi E. The effectiveness of ursolic acid niosomes with chitosan coating for prevention of liver damage in mice induced by n-nitrosodiethylamine. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21397. [PMID: 36496469 PMCID: PMC9741648 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26085-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ursolic acid (UA) is a pentacyclic triterpene carboxylic acid which produces various effects, including anti-cancer, hepatoprotective, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. However, UA demonstrates poor water solubility and permeability. Niosomes have been reported to improve the bioavailability of low water-soluble drugs. This study aimed to investigate the protective action of UA-niosomes with chitosan layers against liver damage induced by N-Nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA). UA niosomes were prepared using a thin layer hydration method, with chitosan being added by vortexing the mixtures. For the induction of liver damage, the mice were administered NDEA intraperitoneally (25 mg/kgBW). They were given niosomes orally (11 mg UA/kgBW) seven and three days prior to NDEA induction and subsequently once a week with NDEA induction for four weeks. The results showed that chitosan layers increased the particle sizes, PDI, and ζ-potentials of UA niosomes. UA niosomes with chitosan coating reduced the SGOT and SGPT level. The histopathological evaluation of liver tissue showed an improvement with reduced bile duct inflammation and decreasing pleomorphism and enlargement of hepatocyte cell nuclei in UA niosomes with the chitosan coating treated group. It can be concluded that UA niosomes with chitosan coating improved the efficacy of preventive UA therapy in liver-damaged mice induced with NDEA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andang Miatmoko
- grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia ,grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XStem Cell Research and Development Center, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia
| | - Amelia Anneke Faradisa
- grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia
| | - Achmad Aziz Jauhari
- grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia
| | - Berlian Sarasitha Hariawan
- grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XMaster Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia
| | - Devy Maulidya Cahyani
- grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XMaster Program of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia
| | - Hani Plumeriastuti
- grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XDepartment of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia
| | - Retno Sari
- grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia
| | - Esti Hendradi
- grid.440745.60000 0001 0152 762XDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, 60115 Indonesia
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Yang W, Shao F, Wang J, Shen T, Zhao Y, Fu X, Zhang L, Li H. Ethyl Acetate Extract from Artemisia argyi Prevents Liver Damage in ConA-Induced Immunological Liver Injury Mice via Bax/Bcl-2 and TLR4/MyD88/NF- κB Signaling Pathways. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27227883. [PMID: 36431983 PMCID: PMC9693258 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27227883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunological liver injury (ILI) is a common liver disease and lacks potent drugs for treatment. Artemisia argyi Lévl. et Vant. (A. argyi), a medicinal and edible homologous plant usually used in diet therapy to cure various liver diseases, provides a great option for the prevention of ILI. PURPOSE To investigate the effect that ethyl acetate extract of A. argyi (AaEA) on Concanavalin A (ConA)-induced ILI and the mechanism of regulating Bax/Bcl-2 and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways. METHODS The chemical components of AaEA were studied by LC-MS. In animal experiments, the positive control group was administrated diammonium glycyrrhizinate (DIG, 100 mg/kg), while different doses of AaEA groups (AaEA-H, AaEA-M, AaEA-L) were pretreated with AaEA 2.00, 1.00, and 0.50 g/kg, respectively, by intragastric for seven days, once every day. Then, ConA (12.00 mg/kg) was used through tail intravenous injection to establish the ILI model. The blood samples and livers were collected to test the degree of liver dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, histopathological changes, and cell apoptosis. Real-time PCR and Western blotting analysis were used to explain the mechanism of regulating Bax/Bcl-2 and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways. RESULTS The way in which AaEA prevents liver damage in immunological liver injury (ILI) mice caused by ConA was investigated for the first time. Pretreatment with AaEA reduced the expression of ALT, AST, and inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IFN-γ). Meanwhile, AaEA also reduced MDA levels but upregulated the contents of IL-4, SOD, and GSH-px, alleviating oxidative stress induced by ILI. Western blotting and real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that AaEA could regulate the expression level and relative mRNA expression of key proteins on Bax/Bcl-2 and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways. Finally, 504 components from AaEA were identified by LC-MS analysis, mainly including flavones, phenolic acids, and terpenoids with anti-inflammatory and liver protective activities, which highlights the potential of AaEA for diet treatment of ILI. CONCLUSION AaEA can work against ConA-induced ILI in mice by regulating Bax/Bcl-2 and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways, which has the potential to be a great strategy for the prevention of ILI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqian Yang
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Fei Shao
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Jiexin Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Tong Shen
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Xueyan Fu
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
- Ningxia Research Center of Modern Hui Medicine Engineering and Technology, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750000, China
- Key Laboratory of Ningxia Ethnomedicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
| | - Liming Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
- Ningxia Research Center of Modern Hui Medicine Engineering and Technology, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750000, China
- Key Laboratory of Ningxia Ethnomedicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
- Correspondence: (L.Z.); (H.L.)
| | - Hangying Li
- College of Pharmacy, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
- Ningxia Research Center of Modern Hui Medicine Engineering and Technology, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750000, China
- Key Laboratory of Ningxia Ethnomedicine Modernization, Ministry of Education, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
- Correspondence: (L.Z.); (H.L.)
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Vukić MD, Vuković NL, Mladenović M, Tomašević N, Matić S, Stanić S, Sapienza F, Ragno R, Božović M, Kačániová M. Chemical Composition of Various Nepeta cataria Plant Organs' Methanol Extracts Associated with In Vivo Hepatoprotective and Antigenotoxic Features as well as Molecular Modeling Investigations. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 11:2114. [PMID: 36015417 PMCID: PMC9415533 DOI: 10.3390/plants11162114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This report summarizes the chemical composition analysis of Nepeta cataria L. flower, leaf, and stem methanol extracts (FME, LME, SME, respectively) as well as their hepatoprotective and antigenotoxic features in vivo and in silico. Herein, Wistar rat liver intoxication with CCl4 resulted in the generation of trichloromethyl and trichloromethylperoxy radicals, causing lipid peroxidation within the hepatocyte membranes (viz. hepatotoxicity), as well as the subsequent formation of aberrant rDNA adducts and consequent double-strand break (namely genotoxicity). Examined FME, LME, and SME administered orally to Wistar rats before the injection of CCl4 exerted the most notable pharmacological properties in the concentrations of 200, 100, and 50 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. Thus, the extracts' hepatoprotective features were determined by monitoring the catalytic activities of enzymes and the concentrations of reactive oxidative species, modulating the liver redox status. Furthermore, the necrosis of hepatocytes was assessed by means of catalytic activities of liver toxicity markers. The extracts' antigenotoxic features were quantified using the comet assay. Distinct pharmacological property features may be attributed to quercitrin (8406.31 μg/g), chlorogenic acid (1647.32 μg/g), and quinic acid (536.11 μg/g), found within the FME, rosmarinic acid (1056.14 μg/g), and chlorogenic acid (648.52 μg/g), occurring within the LME, and chlorogenic acid (1408.43 μg/g), the most abundant in SME. Hence, the plant's secondary metabolites were individually administered similar to extracts, upon which their pharmacology in vivo was elucidated in silico by means of the structure-based studies within rat catalase, as a redox marker, and rat topoisomerase IIα, an enzyme catalyzing the rat DNA double-strand break. Conclusively, the examined N. cataria extracts in specified concentrations could be used in clinical therapy for the prevention of toxin-induced liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena D. Vukić
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Nenad L. Vuković
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Milan Mladenović
- Kragujevac Center for Computational Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Nevena Tomašević
- Kragujevac Center for Computational Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Sanja Matić
- Department of Science, Institute for Information Technologies Kragujevac, University of Kragujevac, Jovana Cvijića bb, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Snežana Stanić
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, Radoja Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Filippo Sapienza
- Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Rino Ragno
- Rome Center for Molecular Design, Department of Drug Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Mijat Božović
- Faculty of Science and Mathematics, University of Montenegro, Džordža Vašingtona bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
| | - Miroslava Kačániová
- Institute of Horticulture, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
- Department of Bioenergy, Food Technology and Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology and Nutrition, University of Rzeszow, 4 Zelwerowicza St., 35601 Rzeszow, Poland
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9
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Ai G, Wu X, Dou Y, Huang R, Zhong L, Liu Y, Xian Y, Lin Z, Li Y, Su Z, Chen J, Qu C. Oxyberberine, a novel HO-1 agonist, effectively ameliorates oxidative stress and inflammatory response in LPS/D-GalN induced acute liver injury mice via coactivating erythrocyte metabolism and Nrf2 signaling pathway. Food Chem Toxicol 2022; 166:113215. [PMID: 35691465 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2022.113215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Oxyberberine (OBB), a main gut-mediated metabolite of Phellodendron chinense Cortex (PC), exhibits prominent protective property against acute liver injury (ALI). Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a vital molecule in attenuating acute and chronic liver injury for its prominent anti-oxidative injury and anti-inflammation properties. The present study was performed to investigate the hepatoprotective role of OBB through HO-1 signaling pathway in lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine (LPS/D-GalN) induced ALI. Our results indicated that PC treatment improved survival rate and its metabolite OBB evidently improved histopathological deteriorations and liver function. Additionally, OBB dramatically ameliorated hepatic oxidative stress and inflammation. Besides, OBB exerted remarkable HO-1 agonistic activity, even be comparable to hemin (a HO-1 inducer), as evidenced by increased HO-1 level, carbon monoxide and bilirubin activities, which are the markers of erythrocyte metabolism. Moreover, OBB modulated the parameters of inflammation and oxidative stress through HO-1 dependent pathway. Beyond this, OBB also notably suppressed the translocation of p65, enhanced antioxidation defense genes expressions, promoted the degradation of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) and the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). In conclusion, OBB could be the principle active metabolite substance of PC and exert excellent hepatoprotective effects via inducing HO-1 through coactivation of erythrocyte metabolism and Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaoxiang Ai
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Xiaoyan Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Yaoxing Dou
- The Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine/Post-Doctoral Research Station, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Ronglei Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Linjiang Zhong
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Yuhong Liu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Yanfang Xian
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China
| | - Zhixiu Lin
- School of Chinese Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PR China
| | - Yucui Li
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Ziren Su
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China
| | - Jiannan Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.
| | - Chang Qu
- College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510630, PR China.
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10
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Nazarie (Ignat) SR, Gharbia S, Hermenean A, Dinescu S, Costache M. Regenerative Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells' (MSCs) Secretome for Liver Fibrosis Therapies. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222413292. [PMID: 34948088 PMCID: PMC8705326 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic liver injuries lead to liver fibrosis and then to end-stage liver cirrhosis. Liver transplantation is often needed as a course of treatment for patients in critical conditions, but limitations associated with transplantation prompted the continuous search for alternative therapeutic strategies. Cell therapy with stem cells has emerged as an attractive option in order to stimulate tissue regeneration and liver repair. Transplanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could trans-differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells and, moreover, show anti-fibrotic and immunomodulatory effects. However, cell transplantation may lead to some uncontrolled side effects, risks associated with tumorigenesis, and cell rejection. MSCs' secretome includes a large number of soluble factors and extracellular vesicles (EVs), through which they exert their therapeutic role. This could represent a cell-free strategy, which is safer and more effective than MSC transplantation. In this review, we focus on cell therapies based on MSCs and how the MSCs' secretome impacts the mechanisms associated with liver diseases. Moreover, we discuss the important therapeutic role of EVs and how their properties could be further used in liver regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona-Rebeca Nazarie (Ignat)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania; (S.-R.N.); (S.G.); (A.H.); (M.C.)
| | - Sami Gharbia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania; (S.-R.N.); (S.G.); (A.H.); (M.C.)
- “Aurel Ardelean” Institute of Life Sciences, “Vasile Goldiș” Western University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania
| | - Anca Hermenean
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania; (S.-R.N.); (S.G.); (A.H.); (M.C.)
- “Aurel Ardelean” Institute of Life Sciences, “Vasile Goldiș” Western University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania
| | - Sorina Dinescu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania; (S.-R.N.); (S.G.); (A.H.); (M.C.)
- The Research Institute of the University of Bucharest (ICUB), University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence:
| | - Marieta Costache
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania; (S.-R.N.); (S.G.); (A.H.); (M.C.)
- The Research Institute of the University of Bucharest (ICUB), University of Bucharest, 050663 Bucharest, Romania
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11
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Allam NG, El-Sheekh MM, Sarhan NI, Alfakharany GS. A new trend in the medication of hepatocyte cytoxicity in mice: protective role of probiotic bacteria. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:1555-1564. [PMID: 32844344 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-10420-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Liver toxicity is affected by several factors, including certain medications, fumes emission from factories, materials used in industries, and exposure to chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Some preselected probiotic bacteria strains have been widely employed in different medical researches due to their antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory characters, and hepatoprotective factor. The present study was aimed to evaluate the protective role of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum DSMZ 20174) and their ameliorative effects against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The cell cycle of hepatocytes and the expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were assessed by flow cytometry as indicators for apoptosis. The antioxidant activity of probiotic bacteria was estimated by measuring lipid peroxidation (LPO) and scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH). The results showed that the treatment of CCl4-administered mice by supernatant from Lactobacillus plantarum DSMZ 20174 induced an amelioration in CCl4-induced increases in serum activity of the liver enzymes and decreases in LPO and DPPH. After treatment with probiotics, the liver histopathological studies showed abundant infiltration and accumulation of mononuclear cells and fibroblast, indicating a positive effect ameliorating the damage previously induced by CCl4. In sum, the results of the present work indicate the protective effects of Lactobacillus plantarum against hepatotoxicity through antioxidant effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nanis G Allam
- Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt
| | - Mostafa M El-Sheekh
- Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt.
| | - Naglaa I Sarhan
- Histology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
| | - Ghada S Alfakharany
- Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, 31527, Egypt
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12
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Al-Dhamin Z, Liu LD, Li DD, Zhang SY, Dong SM, Nan YM. Therapeutic efficiency of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for liver fibrosis: A systematic review of in vivo studies. World J Gastroenterol 2020; 26:7444-7469. [PMID: 33384547 PMCID: PMC7754546 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i47.7444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Although multiple drugs are accessible for recovering liver function in patients, none are considered efficient. Liver transplantation is the mainstay therapy for end-stage liver fibrosis. However, the worldwide shortage of healthy liver donors, organ rejection, complex surgery, and high costs are prompting researchers to develop novel approaches to deal with the overwhelming liver fibrosis cases. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is an emerging alternative method for treating patients with liver fibrosis. However, many aspects of this therapy remain unclear, such as the efficiency compared to conventional treatment, the ideal MSC sources, and the most effective way to use it. Because bone marrow (BM) is the largest source for MSCs, this paper used a systematic review approach to study the therapeutic efficiency of MSCs against liver fibrosis and related factors. We systematically searched multiple published articles to identify studies involving liver fibrosis and BM-MSC-based therapy. Analyzing the selected studies showed that compared with conventional treatment BM-MSC therapy may be more efficient for liver fibrosis in some cases. In contrast, the cotreatment presented a more efficient way. Nevertheless, BM-MSCs are lacking as a therapy for liver fibrosis; thus, this paper also reviews factors that affect BM-MSC efficiency, such as the implementation routes and strategies employed to enhance the potential in alleviating liver fibrosis. Ultimately, our review summarizes the recent advances in the BM-MSC therapy for liver fibrosis. It is grounded in recent developments underlying the efficiency of BM-MSCs as therapy, focusing on the preclinical in vivo experiments, and comparing to other treatments or sources and the strategies used to enhance its potential while mentioning the research gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaid Al-Dhamin
- Department of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University & Hebei Key Laboratory of Mechanism of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China
| | - Ling-Di Liu
- Department of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University & Hebei Key Laboratory of Mechanism of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China
| | - Dong-Dong Li
- Department of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University & Hebei Key Laboratory of Mechanism of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China
| | - Si-Yu Zhang
- Department of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University & Hebei Key Laboratory of Mechanism of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China
| | - Shi-Ming Dong
- Department of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University & Hebei Key Laboratory of Mechanism of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China
| | - Yue-Min Nan
- Department of Traditional and Western Medical Hepatology, Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University & Hebei Key Laboratory of Mechanism of Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China
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13
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Teng KY, Barajas JM, Hu P, Jacob ST, Ghoshal K. Role of B Cell Lymphoma 2 in the Regulation of Liver Fibrosis in miR-122 Knockout Mice. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:biology9070157. [PMID: 32650615 PMCID: PMC7408427 DOI: 10.3390/biology9070157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) has been identified as a marker of various liver injuries, including hepatitis- virus-infection-, alcoholic-, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-induced liver fibrosis. Here, we report that the extracellular miR-122 from hepatic cells can be delivered to hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) to modulate their proliferation and gene expression. Our published Argonaute crosslinking immunoprecipitation (Ago-CLIP) data identified several pro-fibrotic genes, including Ctgf, as miR-122 targets in mice livers. However, treating Ctgf as a therapeutic target failed to rescue the fibrosis developed in the miR-122 knockout livers. Alternatively, we compared the published datasets of human cirrhotic livers and miR-122 KO livers, which revealed upregulation of BCL2, suggesting its potential role in regulating fibrosis. Notably, ectopic miR-122 expression inhibited BCL2 expression in human HSC (LX-2) cells). Publicly available ChIP-seq data in human hepatocellular cancer (HepG2) cells and mice livers suggested miR-122 could regulate BCL2 expression indirectly through c-MYC, which was confirmed by siRNA-mediated depletion of c-MYC in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) cell lines. Importantly, Venetoclax, a potent BCL2 inhibitor approved for the treatment of leukemia, showed promising anti-fibrotic effects in miR-122 knockout mice. Collectively, our data demonstrate that miR-122 suppresses liver fibrosis and implicates anti-fibrotic potential of Venetoclax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun-Yu Teng
- Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (J.M.B.); (S.T.J.)
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
| | - Juan M. Barajas
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (J.M.B.); (S.T.J.)
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
| | - Peng Hu
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
| | - Samson T. Jacob
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (J.M.B.); (S.T.J.)
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Kalpana Ghoshal
- Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (J.M.B.); (S.T.J.)
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +614-292-8865; Fax: +614-688-4245
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14
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Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein as a diagnostic biomarker in liver cirrhosis: an updated meta-analysis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:10582. [PMID: 32601332 PMCID: PMC7324360 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67471-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA+-M2BP) had been suggested as a possible glycobiomarker for assessing liver fibrosis. Here, we conducted this updated meta-analysis to systematically investigate the predictive accuracy of WFA+-M2BP for diagnosing liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by comparing with multiple non-invasive indicators. We searched relevant literatures from Pubmed, Web of Science, EMBASE and Cochrane Library and enrolled 36 eligible studies involving 7,362 patients. Summary results were calculated using bivariate random effects model. The pooled sensitivities, specificities and areas under the summary receiver operating characteristic curves (AUSROCs) of WFA+-M2BP for identifying mild fibrosis, significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCC were 0.70/0.68/0.75, 0.71/0.75/0.79, 0.75/0.76/0.82, 0.77/0.86/0.88, and 0.77/0.80/0.85, respectively. The accuracy of WFA+-M2BP was strongly affected by etiology and it was not better than other non-invasive indicators for predicting early fibrosis. It showed similar diagnostic performance to hyaluronic acid and FibroScan for cirrhosis, but was equivalent to α-fetoprotein for HCC. In conclusion, WFA+-M2BP was suitable to diagnose late stage of liver fibrosis, especially cirrhosis. Individual cutoff value of WFA+-M2BP could be used to grade liver fibrosis in different etiology. Combined diagnostic model was suggested to improve its predictive accuracy for HCC.
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15
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Park WJ, Song JH, Kim GT, Park TS. Ceramide and Sphingosine 1-Phosphate in Liver Diseases. Mol Cells 2020; 43:419-430. [PMID: 32392908 PMCID: PMC7264474 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2020.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The liver is an important organ in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism. It is responsible for systemic energy homeostasis. When energy need exceeds the storage capacity in the liver, fatty acids are shunted into nonoxidative sphingolipid biosynthesis, which increases the level of cellular ceramides. Accumulation of ceramides alters substrate utilization from glucose to lipids, activates triglyceride storage, and results in the development of both insulin resistance and hepatosteatosis, increasing the likelihood of major metabolic diseases. Another sphingolipid metabolite, sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive signaling molecule that acts via S1P-specific G protein coupled receptors. It regulates many cellular and physiological events. Since an increase in plasma S1P is associated with obesity, it seems reasonable that recent studies have provided evidence that S1P is linked to lipid pathophysiology, including hepatosteatosis and fibrosis. Herein, we review recent findings on ceramides and S1P in obesity-mediated liver diseases and the therapeutic potential of these sphingolipid metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo-Jae Park
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon 2999, Korea
| | - Jae-Hwi Song
- Department of Life Science, Gachon University, Seongnam 1310, Korea
| | - Goon-Tae Kim
- Department of Life Science, Gachon University, Seongnam 1310, Korea
| | - Tae-Sik Park
- Department of Life Science, Gachon University, Seongnam 1310, Korea
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16
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Chen W, Li Y, Hsu CT, Niu CS, Pen WH, Cheng KC, Niu HS. Connective tissue growth factor in hepatocytes is elevated by carbon tetrachloride via STAT3 activation. Mol Med Rep 2020; 21:1390-1398. [PMID: 31922209 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2020.10916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is widely used to induce hepatic fibrosis. Therapeutic agents alleviate hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activation. To understand the direct effects of CCl4 on STAT3 expression in the liver, the present study incubated cultured hepatocytes expressing connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) with CCl4. Rats exposed to CCl4 for 8 weeks exhibited hepatic fibrosis, which was confirmed through the assessment of plasma biomarkers. Isolated liver samples were used to determine the protein levels of CTGF and STAT3 using western blotting. In addition, STAT3 expression was silenced in α mouse liver 12 (AML‑12) cells using small interfering RNA transfection. In addition, a pharmacological inhibitor, stattic, was used to inhibit STAT3 expression. The incubation of AML‑12 cells with CCl4 induced a dose‑dependent increase in CTGF expression and STAT3 activation. Notably, silymarin, an extract from milk thistle, inhibited these changes in AML‑12 cells and the antioxidant tiron produced similar effects. Silencing of STAT3 reduced the CTGF expression promoted by CCl4 in the hepatocytes. Additionally, similar to tiron, stattic inhibited CTGF expression induced by CCl4. In conclusion, CCl4 may activate STAT3 through oxidative stress to promote CTGF expression, which is one of the main factors contributing to the risk of hepatic fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenhsu Chen
- Department of Internal Medicine, E‑Da Hospital, I‑Shou University, Kaohsiung 82401, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Yingxiao Li
- Department of Psychosomatic Internal Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima 890‑8520, Japan
| | - Chao-Tien Hsu
- Department of Pathology, E‑Da Hospital, I‑Shou University, Kaohsiung 82401, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Chiang-Shan Niu
- Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, Hualien 97005, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Wen-Huang Pen
- Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan, R.O.C
| | - Kai-Chun Cheng
- Pharmacological Department of Herbal Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima 890‑8520, Japan
| | - Ho-Shan Niu
- Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, Hualien 97005, Taiwan, R.O.C
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17
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Sphingolipids in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Ceramide Turnover. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 21:ijms21010040. [PMID: 31861664 PMCID: PMC6982102 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21010040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as one of the main causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. NAFLD comprises a group of conditions characterized by the accumulation of hepatic lipids that can eventually lead to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fifth most common cancer type with a poor survival rate. In this context, several works have pointed out perturbations in lipid metabolism and, particularly, changes in bioactive sphingolipids, as a hallmark of NAFLD and derived HCC. In the present work, we have reviewed existing literature about sphingolipids and the development of NAFLD and NAFLD-derived HCC. During metabolic syndrome, considered a risk factor for steatosis development, an increase in ceramide and sphigosine-1-phosphate (S1P) have been reported. Likewise, other reports have highlighted that increased sphingomyelin and ceramide content is observed during steatosis and NASH. Ceramide also plays a role in liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, acting synergistically with S1P. Finally, during HCC, metabolic fluxes are redirected to reduce cellular ceramide levels whilst increasing S1P to support tumor growth.
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18
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Deniz GY, Laloglu E, Koc K, Geyikoglu F. Hepatoprotective potential of Ferula communis extract for carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative damage in rats. Biotech Histochem 2019; 94:334-340. [PMID: 30712392 DOI: 10.1080/10520295.2019.1566831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the hepatoprotective potential of Ferula communis extract for CCI4 induced liver damage. We used six groups of rats: group 1, untreated control; group 2, CCl4 treated (hepatotoxic); group 3, treated with 150 mg/kg F. communis; group 4, treated with 300 mg/kg F. communis; group 5, treated with CCl4 + 150 mg/kg F. communis; and group 6, treated with CCl4 + 300 mg/kg F. communis. Liver damage was produced by injection of 1 ml/kg CCI4 twice/week. Extracts of F. communis, 150 and 300 mg/kg/day, were administered for 8 weeks. The effects of F. communis were assessed by measuring aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and total bilirubin (T-BIL) levels, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver. The histology and immunohistochemistry of liver tissue were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining, and caspase 3 and 8-OHdG immunostaining. F. communis extract produced significant reductions in elevated levels of ALT, AST, GGT and T-BIL and increased levels of GPx and SOD in rats treated with CCl4. F. communis extract decreased CCl4 induced 8-OHdG formation and caspase 3 activation significantly in hepatocytes, especially at the 150 mg/kg dose. Our findings demonstrate the potential efficacy of F. communis for attenuating CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Y Deniz
- a Vocational High School of Health Services, Ataturk University , Erzurum , Turkey
| | - E Laloglu
- b Department of Medical Biochemistry of Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University , Erzurum , Turkey
| | - K Koc
- c Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University , Erzurum , Turkey
| | - F Geyikoglu
- c Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University , Erzurum , Turkey
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19
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Geyikoglu F, Yilmaz EG, Erol HS, Koc K, Cerig S, Ozek NS, Aysin F. Hepatoprotective Role of Thymol in Drug-Induced Gastric Ulcer Model. Ann Hepatol 2018; 17:980-991. [PMID: 30600301 DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0012.7198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND AIM Indo is widely one of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and one of the common toxic effects of this drug is hepatic failure. Thymol is a monoterpene phenol with many different pharmacological activities. However, up to now its hepatoprotective effects on Indo-induced gastric ulcer model in rats have not been explored yet. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty five Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into seven groups: control, ulcer control (30 mg/kg Indo), Indo + reference standard (50 mg/kg Rantidine), Indo + Thymol (75, 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg) groups. 10 minutes after the induction of ulcer with Indo; Thymol was orally administered to the rats. Liver function enzymes (AST, ALT and LDH) were measured from serum samples. TOS/TAC, TNF-α and PGE2 levels, eNOS and Caspase-3 activity were assessed from tissue homogenate samples. In addition, histopathologic analysis on liver sections was performed. RESULTS Indo significantly increased the levels of hepatic enzymes, TNF-α and eNOS, and caspase-3 activation, while decreased PGE2 levels. Furthermore, it induced oxidative stress as evidenced by elevated TOS and decreased TAC levels. However, Thymol treatment induced a significant improvement in these parameters, especially in 250 mg/kg dose. On the other hand, treatment with Thymol 500 mg/kg dramatically affected the parameters much worse than the Indo treated group. CONCLUSION The findings of the current study demonstrated that Thymol administration significantly ameliorated liver injury due to Indo toxicity. This effect of Thymol (250 mg/kg) may be mediated by its anti-oxidative or anti-inflammatory effect, and up-regulation the synthesis of PGE2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatime Geyikoglu
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, TURKEY
| | - Elif Gülcan Yilmaz
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, TURKEY
| | - Huseyin Serkan Erol
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary, Ataturk University, Erzurum, TURKEY
| | - Kubra Koc
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, TURKEY
| | - Salim Cerig
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, TURKEY
| | - Nihal Simsek Ozek
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, TURKEY
| | - Ferhunde Aysin
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, TURKEY
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20
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Wang W, Yao LJ, Shen W, Ding K, Shi PM, Chen F, He J, Ding J, Zhang X, Xie WF. FOXA2 alleviates CCl 4-induced liver fibrosis by protecting hepatocytes in mice. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15532. [PMID: 29138513 PMCID: PMC5686201 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15831-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The liver-enriched transcription factor Forkhead Box A2 (FOXA2) has been reported to be involved in bile acid homeostasis and bile duct development. However, the role of FOXA2 in liver fibrogenesis remains undefined. In this study, we found that the abundance of FOXA2 was significantly lower in fibrotic livers of patients and mice treated with CCl4 than in controls. Interestingly, the expression level of FOXA2 decreased in hepatocytes, whereas FOXA2 was elevated in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) of mouse fibrotic livers. Hepatocyte-specific ablation of FOXA2 in adult mice exacerbated liver fibrosis induced by CCl4. Either lentivirus LV-CMV-FOXA2 mediated FOXA2 overexpression in the liver or adeno-associated virus AAV8-TBG-FOXA2-mediated hepatocyte-specific upregulation of FOXA2 alleviated hepatic fibrosis. Overexpression of FOXA2 in HSCs did not obviously affect hepatic fibrogenesis. Additionally, FOXA2 knockout in hepatocytes resulted in aberrant transcription of metabolic genes. Furthermore, hepatocyte-specific knockout of FOXA2 enhanced endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) and the apoptosis of hepatocytes, whereas FOXA2 overexpression in hepatocytes suppressed ER stress and hepatocyte apoptosis in mouse fibrotic livers. In conclusion, our findings suggested that FOXA2-mediated hepatocyte protection has a therapeutic role in hepatic fibrosis, and thus may be a new, promising anti-fibrotic option for treating chronic liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China.,Department of Gastroenterology, Lanzhou General Hospital of Lanzhou Military Command, Lanzhou, China
| | - Li-Jia Yao
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China.,Department of Gastroenterology, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, 350025, China
| | - Weifeng Shen
- Department of Special Treatment, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Kai Ding
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Pei-Mei Shi
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Fei Chen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Jin He
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Jin Ding
- International Cooperation Laboratory on Signal Transduction of Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Institute, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Wei-Fen Xie
- Department of Gastroenterology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Road, Shanghai, 200003, China.
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21
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Kan F, Ye L, Yan T, Cao J, Zheng J, Li W. Proteomic and transcriptomic studies of HBV-associated liver fibrosis of an AAV-HBV-infected mouse model. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:641. [PMID: 28830339 PMCID: PMC5568174 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3984-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Human hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is an important public health issue in the Asia-Pacific region and is associated with chronic hepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and even liver cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms of HBV-associated liver fibrosis remain incompletely understood. Results In the present study, proteomic and transcriptomic approaches as well as biological network analyses were performed to investigate the differentially expressed molecular signature and key regulatory networks that were associated with HBV-mediated liver fibrosis. RNA sequencing and 2DE-MALDI-TOF/TOF were performed on liver tissue samples obtained from HBV-infected C57BL/6 mouse generated via AAV8-HBV virus. The results showed that 322 genes and 173 proteins were differentially expressed, and 28 HBV-specific proteins were identified by comprehensive proteomic and transcriptomic analysis. GO analysis indicated that the differentially expressed proteins were predominantly involved in oxidative stress, which plays a key role in HBV-related liver fibrosis. Importantly, CAT, PRDX1, GSTP1, NXN and BLVRB were shown to be associated with oxidative stress among the differentially expressed proteins. The most striking results were validated by Western blot and RT-qPCR. The RIG-I like receptor signaling pathway was found to be the major signal pathway that changed during HBV-related fibrosis. Conclusions This study provides novel insights into HBV-associated liver fibrosis and reveals the significant role of oxidative stress in liver fibrosis. Furthermore, CAT, BLVRB, NXN, PRDX1, and IDH1 may be candidates for detection of liver fibrosis or therapeutic targets for the treatment of liver fibrosis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3984-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangming Kan
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Ye
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Yan
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaqi Cao
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jianhua Zheng
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
| | - Wuping Li
- MOH Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
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22
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Li XM, Yang TY, He XS, Wang JR, Gan WJ, Zhang S, Li JM, Wu H. Orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 inhibits poly (I:C)-triggered acute liver inflammation by inducing the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20. Oncotarget 2017; 8:61025-61035. [PMID: 28977843 PMCID: PMC5617403 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Inflammation is a key contributor to various types of acute and chronic liver disease. We recently reported that lack of Nur77, an orphan nuclear receptor, contributes to the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases including inflammatory bowel disease and sepsis. However, whether Nur77 plays a critical role in liver inflammation remains to be fully understood. Employing in vivo acute liver inflammation model in wild-type (Nur77+/+) and Nur77-/- mice, we here found that Nur77 deficiency dramatically increased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and accelerated liver injury induced by poly (I:C)/D-GalN in Nur77-/- mice. Mechanistically, Nur77 acts as a negative regulator of NF-κB signaling by inducing the expression of ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20, a novel target gene of Nur77. Notably, in inflammatory cells, overexpression of A20 enhanced, whereas knockdown of A20 by siRNA approach impaired, the inhibitory effect of Nur77 on poly (I:C)-triggered inflammation. Collectively, our data suggest that the orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 plays a protective role in poly (I:C)-triggered liver inflammation by inducing A20, thus making it a promising target for the prevention and treatment of liver inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu-Ming Li
- Pathology Center and Department of Pathology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Tian-Yu Yang
- Pathology Center and Department of Pathology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Xiao-Shun He
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Jing-Ru Wang
- Pathology Center and Department of Pathology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Wen-Juan Gan
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Shen Zhang
- Pathology Center and Department of Pathology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Jian-Ming Li
- Pathology Center and Department of Pathology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Hua Wu
- Pathology Center and Department of Pathology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
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Ma R, Chen J, Liang Y, Lin S, Zhu L, Liang X, Cai X. Sorafenib: A potential therapeutic drug for hepatic fibrosis and its outcomes. Biomed Pharmacother 2017; 88:459-468. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2017.01.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2016] [Revised: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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24
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Huang YQ, Li PY, Wang JB, Zhou HQ, Yang ZR, Yang RC, Bai ZF, Wang LF, Li JY, Liu HH, Zhao YL, Xiao XH. Inhibition of Sophocarpine on Poly I: C/D-GalN-Induced Immunological Liver Injury in Mice. Front Pharmacol 2016; 7:256. [PMID: 27570511 PMCID: PMC4981750 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing evidence has suggested that natural killer (NK) cells contribute to the pathogenesis of human immunological liver injury (ILI). Previous studies have demonstrated that Sophocarpine exerts activity in immune modulation. It also has a therapeutic effect on liver protection in that it can alleviate liver fibrosis by suppressing both the activation of hepatic stellate cells and the proliferation of the activated hepatic stellate cells. However, whether Sophocarpine protects the liver by regulating NK cell activity remains unclear. In this study, the modulating effect of Sophocarpine on NK cells in the liver was investigated. The results showed that Sophocarpine dramatically decreased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and attenuated the liver injury induced by Poly I: C/D-GalN in C57BL/6- mice. More importantly, Sophocarpine pre-treatment significantly suppressed NK cell activation and downregulated the expression of NKG2D, a receptor responsible for NK cell activation. Moreover, the protein levels of DAP12, ZAP76 and Syk decreased, as did their corresponding mRNA levels. Overall, our study demonstrates that Sophocarpine inhibits NK cell activity, thus making it a promising therapy for ILI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin-Qiu Huang
- Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengdu, China; Department of Pharmacy, 302 Military Hospital of ChinaBeijing, China
| | - Peng-Yan Li
- China Military Institute of Chinese Medicine, 302 Military Hospital of China Beijing, China
| | - Jia-Bo Wang
- China Military Institute of Chinese Medicine, 302 Military Hospital of China Beijing, China
| | - Hou-Qin Zhou
- Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengdu, China; Department of Pharmacy, 302 Military Hospital of ChinaBeijing, China
| | - Zhi-Rui Yang
- Pharmacy College, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese MedicineChengdu, China; Department of Pharmacy, 302 Military Hospital of ChinaBeijing, China
| | - Rui-Chuang Yang
- Research Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army Beijing, China
| | - Zhao-Fang Bai
- China Military Institute of Chinese Medicine, 302 Military Hospital of China Beijing, China
| | - Li-Fu Wang
- Department of Integrative Medical Center, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Yu Li
- Department of Integrative Medical Center, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army Beijing, China
| | - Hong-Hong Liu
- Department of Integrative Medical Center, 302 Hospital of People's Liberation Army Beijing, China
| | - Yan-Ling Zhao
- Department of Pharmacy, 302 Military Hospital of China Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-He Xiao
- China Military Institute of Chinese Medicine, 302 Military Hospital of China Beijing, China
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25
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Wahsh E, Abu-Elsaad N, El-Karef A, Ibrahim T. The vitamin D receptor agonist, calcipotriol, modulates fibrogenic pathways mitigating liver fibrosis in-vivo: An experimental study. Eur J Pharmacol 2016; 789:362-369. [PMID: 27477355 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2016.07.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Revised: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Vitamin D was found to be involved in liver fibrosis modulation through binding to its receptor (VDR) halting many fibrotic pathways. Targeting vitamin D-VDR axis using vitamin D analogs may represent an efficient strategy for liver fibrosis treatment . The study aims at testing the potential ability of the VDR agonist, calcipotriol, to stop fibrosis progression and/or regeneration of hepatocytes in an experimental model of liver fibrosis. Mice (CD-1) were injected with thioacetamide (TAA, 100mg/kg, i.p., 3 times/week) for 8 weeks to induce fibrosis and were treated with calcipotriol (20, 60 or 80µg/kg, i.p., daily) concurrently with TAA during the last 4 weeks. Liver function and oxidative stress biomarkers were measured by the end of the study and hepatic sections were examined for inflammation, necrosis and fibrosis percentage. Additionally, liver contents of collagen-1-alpha-1 (COL1a1), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and phospho-Smad2 (Ser456/467)/Smad3 (Ser423/425) were measured. Finally, expression of TGF-β1, tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, Smad2/3 and Smad1/5/9 were scored using immunohistochemistry techniques. Mainly, calcipotriol (80µg/kg) significantly (P<0.001) reduced fibrosis percentage and improved TAA effect on transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, COL1a1 level, malondialdehyde, albumin and reduced glutathione (GSH). It also decreased the profibrogenic cytokine TGF-β1, TIMP-1, Smad2/3, Smad1/5/9 and phospoSmad2/3 significantly (P<0.01) when compared to TAA group. Calcipotriol attenuates TAA induced liver fibrosis and can stop its progression through limiting stellate cells activity by decreasing TGF-β1 level and modulating TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway. It also can help fibrolysis through decreasing TIMP-1 and restoring the balance between metalloproteinases and their inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman Wahsh
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt.
| | - Nashwa Abu-Elsaad
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt.
| | - Amr El-Karef
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt.
| | - Tarek Ibrahim
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt.
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26
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Uncovering the liver's role in immunity through RNA co-expression networks. Mamm Genome 2016; 27:469-84. [PMID: 27401171 PMCID: PMC5002042 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-016-9656-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Gene co-expression analysis has proven to be a powerful tool for ascertaining the organization of gene products into networks that are important for organ function. An organ, such as the liver, engages in a multitude of functions important for the survival of humans, rats, and other animals; these liver functions include energy metabolism, metabolism of xenobiotics, immune system function, and hormonal homeostasis. With the availability of organ-specific transcriptomes, we can now examine the role of RNA transcripts (both protein-coding and non-coding) in these functions. A systems genetic approach for identifying and characterizing liver gene networks within a recombinant inbred panel of rats was used to identify genetically regulated transcriptional networks (modules). For these modules, biological consensus was found between functional enrichment analysis and publicly available phenotypic quantitative trait loci (QTL). In particular, the biological function of two liver modules could be linked to immune response. The eigengene QTLs for these co-expression modules were located at genomic regions coincident with highly significant phenotypic QTLs; these phenotypes were related to rheumatoid arthritis, food preference, and basal corticosterone levels in rats. Our analysis illustrates that genetically and biologically driven RNA-based networks, such as the ones identified as part of this research, provide insight into the genetic influences on organ functions. These networks can pinpoint phenotypes that manifest through the interaction of many organs/tissues and can identify unannotated or under-annotated RNA transcripts that play a role in these phenotypes.
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27
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Abeer MES. Leaves of Schinus polygamous (Cav.) Cabrera (Anacardiaceae) are a potential source of hepatoprotective and antioxidant phytochemicals. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.5897/jmpr2016.6061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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28
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Isayama F, Moore S, Hines IN, Wheeler MD. Fas Regulates Macrophage Polarization and Fibrogenic Phenotype in a Model of Chronic Ethanol-Induced Hepatocellular Injury. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2016; 186:1524-36. [PMID: 27102767 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2016.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The role of Fas-mediated apoptosis and its effect on proinflammatory cytokine production in early alcoholic liver disease has not been addressed. Wild-type mice (C57Bl/6) or mice with a functional mutation in the Fas ligand (B6.gld) were given either high-fat control diet or ethanol diet by intragastric cannulation for 2 or 4 weeks. Liver injury, hepatic lipid accumulation, and proinflammatory cytokine production associated with chronic ethanol consumption were largely prevented in B6.gld mice compared with wild-type mice. Conversely, B6.gld mice given ethanol exhibited increases in collagen deposition, hepatic collagen gene expression, and profibrogenic cytokines (eg, transforming growth factor-β and IL-13) and alterations in matrix remodeling proteins (eg, matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases) compared with wild-type mice. Hepatic F4/80(+) macrophage populations were increased significantly in B6.gld mice compared with wild-type mice; hepatic CD3(+) cell populations were not significantly different. Importantly, a shift toward the expression of M2/Th2 cytokines (eg, IL-4 and IL-13) after ethanol exposure was observed in B6.gld mice compared with classical M1 cytokine expression in wild-type mice under similar conditions. In isolated macrophages, stimulation of Fas receptor minimally enhances lipopolysaccharide-induced M1 cytokine production and significantly limits M2 cytokine production. These data support the hypothesis that Fas-mediated signaling is important for an early ethanol-induced proinflammatory response but limits the profibrogenic response, regulating collagen production in response to chronic ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuyumi Isayama
- Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Sherri Moore
- Department of Nutrition Science, College of Allied Health, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
| | - Ian N Hines
- Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Nutrition Science, College of Allied Health, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina
| | - Michael D Wheeler
- Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Department of Nutrition Science, College of Allied Health, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina.
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29
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Vatankhah A, Halász J, Piurkó V, Barbai T, Rásó E, Tímár J. Characterization of the inflammatory cell infiltrate and expression of costimulatory molecules in chronic echinococcus granulosus infection of the human liver. BMC Infect Dis 2015; 15:530. [PMID: 26578348 PMCID: PMC4647452 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-015-1252-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The local immune responses to chronic echinococcal infections in various organs are largely unknown. Since the liver is the most frequently involved organ in such infections in human we aimed to characterize the inflammatory as well as immune cell infiltrate around hydatid cysts in the liver and compared to common inflammatory processes of the liver. Method Surgical samples from the liver of 21 cystic echinococcosis (CE) patients were studied and the distribution of different types of inflammatory and immune cells were determined by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, expression levels of costimulatory CTLA4, CD28, CD80 and CD86 molecules were measured at RNA level by PCR. Liver biopsy samples from patients with steatohepatitis (SH, n = 11) and chronic hepatitis (CH, n = 11) were used as non-inflammatory and chronic inflammatory controls, respectively. The composition and density of the inflammatory and immune cell infiltrates have been compared by using morphometry. Results CD3+ T cells predominated the inflammatory infiltrate in all pathological processes, while in CE samples CD20+ B cells, in CH samples CD68+ macrophages were also frequent. Both myeloperoxidase (MPO) + leukocytes and CD68+ macrophages were found to be significantly decreased in CE as compared to either SH or CH samples. Concerning T cell subtypes, only CD8+ T cells were found to be significantly decreased in SH samples. CD1a + dendritic cells were almost completely missing from CE biopsies unlike in any other sample types. There were no differences detected in the mRNA expression of costimulatory molecules except decreased expression of CD28 in CE samples. Conclusion In the hydatid lesions of the liver of chronic echinococcal infections T cell-mediated immunity seems to be impaired as compared to other types of chronic inflammatory processes, suggesting an immunosuppressive role for Echinococcus granulosus, which deserve further attentions.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Vatankhah
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Üllői u. 93, 1091, Budapest, Hungary. .,Molecular Oncology Research Group, MTA-SE, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - J Halász
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Üllői u. 93, 1091, Budapest, Hungary. .,Molecular Oncology Research Group, MTA-SE, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - V Piurkó
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Üllői u. 93, 1091, Budapest, Hungary. .,Molecular Oncology Research Group, MTA-SE, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - T Barbai
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Üllői u. 93, 1091, Budapest, Hungary. .,Molecular Oncology Research Group, MTA-SE, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - E Rásó
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Üllői u. 93, 1091, Budapest, Hungary. .,Molecular Oncology Research Group, MTA-SE, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - J Tímár
- 2nd Department of Pathology, Semmelweis University, Üllői u. 93, 1091, Budapest, Hungary. .,Molecular Oncology Research Group, MTA-SE, Budapest, Hungary.
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Feng X, Tan W, Cheng S, Wang H, Ye S, Yu C, He Y, Zeng J, Cen J, Hu J, Zheng R, Zhou Y. Upregulation of microRNA-126 in hepatic stellate cells may affect pathogenesis of liver fibrosis through the NF-κB pathway. DNA Cell Biol 2015; 34:470-80. [PMID: 25974152 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2014.2760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatic fibrosis, which results from chronic liver disease, currently lacks effective treatment. MicroRNAs, a group of small noncoding RNA molecules, have been observed to play an essential role in liver diseases, including hepatic fibrosis. In this study, we described the regulation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) inhibitor alpha (IκBα) and its possible signaling pathway by miR-126 in human hepatic stellate cell (HSC) line LX-2. The 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of IκBα combined with miR-126 was analyzed by using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, the effects of miR-126 on IκBα mRNA and protein and NF-κB protein expression were assessed by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot analysis in the human HSC LX-2 cell line transfected with miR-126 mimic or inhibitor. Moreover, to understand the molecular mechanism of miR-126 in promoting liver fibrosis through NF-κB signaling pathway, the NF-κB downstream signaling factors expression such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and collagen I mRNA were detected by real-time qRT-PCR. We identified that IκBα is a potential target gene of miR-126, by directly targeting its 3'-UTR. Endogenous miR-126 and exogenous miR-126 mimic inhibited IκBα expression. Moreover, overexpression of miR-126 reduced total and the cytoplasm IκBα protein expression and increased total and cytoblast NF-κB protein expression of LX-2. Conversely, knockdown of miR-126 could inhibit NF-κB activation by upregulation of IκBα protein expression. Further, miR-126 promoted TNF-a-induced TGF-β1 and collagen I mRNA expression in LX-2 cells. miR-126 may play an important role in hepatic fibrosis by downregulating the expression of IκBα partly through the NF-κB signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Feng
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Wenkai Tan
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Si Cheng
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Hao Wang
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Shicai Ye
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Caiyuan Yu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Yanting He
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Juncheng Zeng
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Junwei Cen
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Juxiang Hu
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Rong Zheng
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
| | - Yu Zhou
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical College , Zhanjiang, China
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Paredes-Turrubiarte G, González-Chávez A, Pérez-Tamayo R, Salazar-Vázquez BY, Hernández VS, Garibay-Nieto N, Fragoso JM, Escobedo G. Severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is associated with high systemic levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and low serum interleukin 10 in morbidly obese patients. Clin Exp Med 2015; 16:193-202. [PMID: 25894568 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-015-0347-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Morbid obesity has been shown to increase the risk to develop hepatic steatosis, also referred to as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Emerging evidence suggests that the severity of NAFLD may associate with increased serum levels of inflammatory markers as well as decreased concentration of mediators with anti-inflammatory actions, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL) 10, respectively. We thus examined the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-10 in 102 morbidly obese women and men (body mass index > 40 kg/m(2)), exhibiting different grades of NAFLD. Blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin, the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), total cholesterol, triglycerides, high- and low-density lipoproteins, parameters of liver function, TNF-α, and IL-10 were measured in each subject. The stage of NAFLD was estimated by abdominal ultrasound imaging. In comparison with morbidly obese subjects without steatosis, morbidly obese patients with NAFLD showed increased age (39.23 ± 9.80 years), HOMA-IR (6.74 ± 1.62), total cholesterol (219.7 ± 9.58 mg/dl), aspartate aminotransferase (36.25 ± 3.24 UI/l), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (37.12 ± 3.41 UI/l), and TNF-α (37.41 ± 1.72 pg/ml) as well as decreased serum levels of IL-10 (61.05 ± 2.43 pg/ml). Interestingly, the systemic levels of TNF-α increased, while IL-10 decreased in accordance with the severity of NAFLD, which supports a role for systemic inflammatory mediators in promoting steatosis progression. Further clinical prospective studies need to be addressed to elucidate the role of TNF-α and IL-10 in the development of NAFLD while also establishing their clinical utility in the assessment of morbidly obese patients at higher risk to develop severe steatosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonio González-Chávez
- Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Mexico "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga", 06720, Mexico, D.F., Mexico.
| | - Ruy Pérez-Tamayo
- Unit of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, National University of Mexico, General Hospital of Mexico "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga", 06720, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
| | - Beatriz Y Salazar-Vázquez
- Unit of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, National University of Mexico, General Hospital of Mexico "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga", 06720, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
| | - Vito S Hernández
- Departament of Physiology, School of Medicine, National University of Mexico, 04510, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
| | - Nayeli Garibay-Nieto
- Department of Human Genetics, General Hospital of Mexico "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga", 06720, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
| | - José Manuel Fragoso
- Department of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Cardiology "Ignacio Chávez", 14080, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
| | - Galileo Escobedo
- Unit of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, National University of Mexico, General Hospital of Mexico "Dr. Eduardo Liceaga", 06720, Mexico, D.F., Mexico.
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Li M, Zeng M, He Z, Zheng Z, Qin F, Tao G, Zhang S, Chen J. Increased accumulation of protein-bound N(ε)-(carboxymethyl)lysine in tissues of healthy rats after chronic oral N(ε)-(carboxymethyl)lysine. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2015; 63:1658-1663. [PMID: 25611617 DOI: 10.1021/jf505063t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, chronic diseases related to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have attracted more attention. Because diet is an important exogenous source of AGEs, this study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic oral administration of pure N(ε)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) (a major AGE) at 60 mg kg(-1) per day on healthy Sprague-Dawley rats. After administration for 12 weeks, the levels of protein-bound CML were increased to 202 ± 17, 167 ± 47, 217 ± 44, 107 ± 4, 144 ± 23, and 33 ± 7 μg/g dry matter in the kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and pancreas, respectively, in comparison with control values of 98 ± 1, 90 ± 15, 140 ± 42, 76 ± 18, 115 ± 15, and 30 ± 4 μg/g dry matter. The difference was significant (p < 0.05) for the kidneys, heart, liver, and lungs, whereas no significant increase was seen in the spleen and pancreas. Furthermore, serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CREA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) values increased significantly (p < 0.05), as evidence of impaired kidney and liver function. Additionally, the rats' fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels remained within the normal range, indicating that chronic intake of CML does not promote a rise in blood glucose. These results clearly indicate that a CML-rich diet might be a potential health risk in humans, particularly with respect to kidney and liver function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, and ‡Synergetic Innovation Center of Food Safety and Nutrition, Jiangnan University , 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi Jiangsu 214122, People's Republic of China
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Liu H, Wang Z, Nowicki MJ. Caspase-12 mediates carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatocyte apoptosis in mice. World J Gastroenterol 2014; 20:18189-18198. [PMID: 25561786 PMCID: PMC4277956 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i48.18189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Revised: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To investigate the role of caspase-12 and its downstream targets in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatocyte apoptosis.
METHODS: The role of caspase-12 was determined by using caspase-12 knock-out (-/-) mice. CCl4 (300 μL/kg body weight) or vehicle (corn oil) was administered to caspase-12+/+ or caspase-12-/- mice as a single intraperitoneal injection. The animals were sacrificed 24 h after the CCl4 treatment. Blood was collected to evaluate liver function by the measurement of the activity of alanine aminotransferase. Liver samples were used for the measurements of reactive oxygen species using plasma malondialdehyde as biomarker, hepatocyte apoptosis was evaluated via terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling and controlled by morphologic study, and cytochrome C release and caspase activations were measured by Western blotting.
RESULTS: Administration of a low dose of CCl4 resulted in hepatocyte apoptosis and acute liver injury in wild-type mice. CCl4 also induced the generation of reactive oxygen species and induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress in the liver followed by activations of caspase-12, -9 and -3 as well as release of small amounts of cytochrome C. However, in the CCl4-treated caspase-12-/- mice, activation of caspase-9 and -3 were significantly attenuated (P < 0.05); no effect was seen in cytochrome C release. CCl4-induced apoptosis and liver damage was markedly reduced in caspase-12-/- mice compared to caspase-12+/+ mice (P < 0.05). The active form of caspase-8 was not detected in either caspase-12+/+ or caspase-12-/- mice. There was no significant different in the formation of reactive oxygen species in the livers of caspase-12+/+ and caspase-12-/- mice treated with CCl4.
CONCLUSION: Caspase-12 plays a pivotal role in CCl4-induced hepatic apoptosis through the activation of the downstream effector caspase-3 directly and/or indirectly via capase-9 activation.
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Fan JH, Feng GG, Huang L, Tang GD, Jiang HX, Xu J. Naofen promotes TNF-α-mediated apoptosis of hepatocytes by activating caspase-3 in lipopolysaccharide-treated rats. World J Gastroenterol 2014; 20:4963-4971. [PMID: 24803807 PMCID: PMC4009528 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i17.4963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Revised: 12/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To investigate whether naofen is involved in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-mediated apoptosis of hepatocytes induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
METHODS: In vivo, rats were treated with LPS or anti-TNF-α antibody, whereas in vitro, primary hepatocytes and Kupffer cells (KCs) were separately isolated from rat livers using collagenase perfusion, and primary hepatocytes were cultured in medium containing LPS or TNF-α, or in conditioned medium from LPS-treated KCs (KC-CM)/KC-CM + anti-TNF-α antibody. Naofen and TNF-α mRNA expression was examined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Immunoblotting was used to measure protein expression. Hepatocyte apoptosis was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay.
RESULTS: LPS significantly induced both naofen expression and caspase-3 activity in the rat liver, which coincided with an increase in the number of TUNEL-positive hepatocytes. The increase of TNF-α expression induced by LPS was preceded by increases in naofen and caspase-3 activity. Elevation of naofen expression and caspase-3 activity was abrogated by pretreatment with anti-TNF-α antibody. In KCs, LPS caused an increase in TNF-α that was almost consistent with that in the liver of LPS-treated rats. In hepatocytes, neither LPS nor TNF-α alone affected either naofen expression or caspase-3 activation. The incubation of hepatocytes with KC-CM significantly enhanced both naofen expression and caspase-3 activity. Moreover, the effects of the KC-CM-induced increase in naofen expression and caspase-3 activity were blocked by anti-TNF-α antibody.
CONCLUSION: TNF-α released from KCs treated with LPS may induce hepatic naofen expression, which then stimulates hepatocellular apoptosis through activation of caspase-3.
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Kim Y, You Y, Yoon HG, Lee YH, Kim K, Lee J, Kim MS, Kim JC, Jun W. Hepatoprotective effects of fermented Curcuma longa L. on carbon tetrachloride-induced oxidative stress in rats. Food Chem 2014; 151:148-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.11.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Revised: 11/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Deng YR, Ma HD, Tsuneyama K, Yang W, Wang YH, Lu FT, Liu CH, Liu P, He XS, Diehl AM, Gershwin ME, Lian ZX. STAT3-mediated attenuation of CCl4-induced mouse liver fibrosis by the protein kinase inhibitor sorafenib. J Autoimmun 2013; 46:25-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2013.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2013] [Accepted: 07/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Escobedo G, Arjona-Román JL, Meléndez-Pérez R, Suárez-Álvarez K, Guzmán C, Aguirre-García J, Gutiérrez-Reyes G, Vivas O, Varela-Fascinetto G, Rodríguez-Romero A, Robles-Díaz G, Kershenobich D. Liver exhibits thermal variations according to the stage of fibrosis progression: A novel use of modulated-differential scanning calorimetry for research in hepatology. Hepatol Res 2013; 43:785-94. [PMID: 23252661 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.12026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2012] [Revised: 11/09/2012] [Accepted: 11/13/2012] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
AIM Liver fibrosis results in a disproportion of the hepatic composition and architecture, characterized by a progressive accumulation of fibrillar proteins at the liver parenchyma. Modulated-differential scanning calorimetry (mDSC) is an experimental methodology able to determine the specific thermal signature from any biological substance, based on the variation in heat flow and heat capacity. As these physicochemical properties are directly influenced by compositional and structural changes, we decided to study the thermal behavior of the liver during fibrosis using mDSC. METHODS Liver fibrosis was induced in rats by bile duct ligation or carbon tetrachloride administration. Degree of liver fibrosis was determined by histological examination using the Masson-trichrome stain, accompanied by hepatic expression of α-smooth muscle actin. The thermal analysis was performed in a modulated-differential scanning calorimeter using 20 mg of fresh liver mass. RESULTS The liver showed a characteristic thermal signature in control animals, which progressively differed among mild (F1), moderate (F2) and advanced (F3-F4) liver fibrosis. For heat flow, the hepatic thermal signature from F3-F4 rats exhibited significant differences when compared with F1, F2 and controls. In terms of heat capacity, liver specimens provided a specific thermal signature for each stage of disease, characterized by a transition temperature onset at 95°C for controls, whereas in F1, F2 and F3-F4 animals this temperature significantly decreased to 93°C, 84°C and 75°C, respectively. CONCLUSION Because the liver shows a differential thermal signature according to the degree of fibrosis, mDSC could be a novel tool in the study of liver fibrosis progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galileo Escobedo
- Unit of Experimental Medicine, General Hospital of Mexico, México D.F., México; Laboratory for Liver, Pancreas and Motility, Department of Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, General Hospital of Mexico, México D.F., México
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Binding affinity of anti-xylitol antibodies to canine hepatic vessels. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2012; 149:108-11. [PMID: 22688382 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2012.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2012] [Revised: 05/07/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Xylitol is used as a sugar substitute in food products. Dogs have been reported to experience lethal liver injury after accidental ingestion of xylitol. Because liver injury may be a serious consequence of canine immune-mediated reactions, antibodies produced against xylitol may attack the liver. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated whether binding sites for xylitol antibodies are located at the liver or not. Anti-xylitol antibodies were generated by immunization of rabbits with a xylose-bovine serum albumin conjugate. Immunohistological examination showed that binding sites for the anti-xylitol antibodies were located in the hepatic arteries and the portal veins. Western blotting analyses by using a canine liver homogenate showed 4 protein bands with different molecular weights which reacted with anti-xylitol antibodies. Therefore, binding of anti-xylitol antibodies to the vessels may be the first step in an immune-mediated pathogenic response in xylitol toxicity. Further studies are necessary to determine the effects of anti-xylitol antibodies on the liver in the pathogenesis of xylitol toxicity.
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Fan JH, Feng GG, Huang L, Tsunekawa K, Honda T, Katano Y, Hirooka Y, Goto H, Kandatsu N, Ando K, Fujiwara Y, Koide T, Okada S, Ishikawa N. Role of naofen in apoptosis of hepatocytes induced by lipopolysaccharide through mitochondrial signaling in rats. Hepatol Res 2012; 42:696-705. [PMID: 22409254 DOI: 10.1111/j.1872-034x.2012.00972.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
AIM Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes apoptosis of hepatocytes, which is probably mediated by inflammatory substances released from Kupffer cells (KCs). Recently, we have reported that naofen, a newly found intracellular WD40-repeat protein, has a role in inducing the apoptosis in HEK293 cells. Hence, the present study was undertaken to investigate a role of naofen in the LPS-induced apoptosis of rat hepatocytes. METHODS Rats were treated with i.v. injections of LPS, and livers were extirpated to evaluate expression of naofen and apoptosis. In in vitro experiments, hepatocytes and KCs were separately isolated from rat livers. The incubation medium for KCs treated with LPS (KC-CM) was used for hepatocyte culture. RESULTS Intravenous injections of LPS enhanced the expression of naofen in the livers. Livers showed terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive staining, and elevated caspase-3 activity. In isolated KCs or hepatocytes, LPS hardly affected naofen expression and caspase-3 activity, whereas incubation of hepatocytes with KC-CM enhanced both naofen expression and caspase-3 activation. Transfection of hepatocyte with naofen siRNA prevented such effects of KC-CM, and clearly eliminated KC-CM-induced reduction of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. In contrast, overexpression of naofen in hepatocytes downregulated Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, released cytochrome c from mitochondria, and activated caspase-3. CONCLUSION These results indicate that LPS may induce the hepatic apoptosis in association with enhanced naofen expression, and that naofen may mediate the activation of caspase-3 through downregulating the Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression, and releasing cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun-Hua Fan
- Department of Gastroenterology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Departments of Pharmacology Anesthesiology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine, Nagakute Health Research Center, Aichi Gakuin University, Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
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Benyair R, Kondratyev M, Veselkin E, Tolchinsky S, Shenkman M, Lurie Y, Lederkremer GZ. Constant serum levels of secreted asialoglycoprotein receptor sH2a and decrease with cirrhosis. World J Gastroenterol 2011; 17:5305-9. [PMID: 22219600 PMCID: PMC3247695 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v17.i48.5305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2011] [Revised: 06/28/2011] [Accepted: 07/11/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To investigate the existence and levels of sH2a, a soluble secreted form of the asialoglycoprotein receptor in human serum.
METHODS: Production of recombinant sH2a and development of a monoclonal antibody and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This assay was used to determine the presence and concentration of sH2a in human sera of individuals of both sexes and a wide range of ages.
RESULTS: The recombinant protein was produced successfully and a specific ELISA assay was developed. The levels of sH2a in sera from 62 healthy individuals varied minimally (147 ± 19 ng/mL). In contrast, 5 hepatitis C patients with cirrhosis showed much decreased sH2a levels (50 ± 9 ng/mL).
CONCLUSION: Constant sH2a levels suggest constitutive secretion from hepatocytes in healthy individuals. This constant level and the decrease with cirrhosis suggest a diagnostic potential.
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Feng Y, Wang N, Ye X, Li H, Feng Y, Cheung F, Nagamatsu T. Hepatoprotective effect and its possible mechanism of Coptidis rhizoma aqueous extract on carbon tetrachloride-induced chronic liver hepatotoxicity in rats. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2011; 138:683-690. [PMID: 21963555 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2011.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2011] [Revised: 09/03/2011] [Accepted: 09/18/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Coptidis rhizoma is traditionally used for heat-clearing and toxic-scavenging and it belongs to liver meridian in Chinese medicine practice. Clinically, Coptidis rhizoma can be used for hepatic and biliary disorders, yet details in the therapies of liver diseases and underlying mechanism(s) remain unclear. Our previous study demonstrated that Coptidis rhizoma aqueous extract (CRAE) against CCl(4)-induced acute liver damage was related to antioxidant property. In the present study, the protection of CRAE on chronic liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) in rats and its related mechanism were explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS The CCl(4)-induced chronic liver damage model was established, and CRAE's protective effect was examined. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, serum and liver superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were then measured. The histological changes were observed under microscopy and then computed in numerical score. The normal or damaged cells were isolated and related signaling pathway was evaluated. RESULT Serum AST and ALT activities were significantly decreased in rats treated with different doses of CRAE, indicating its protective effect against CCl(4)-induced chronic liver damage. Observation on serum SOD activity revealed that CRAE might act as an anti-oxidant agent against CCl(4)-induced chronic oxide stress. Histological study supported these observations. Erk1/2 inhibition may take part into CRAE's effect on preventing hepatocyte from apoptosis when exposed to oxidative stress. CONCLUSION CRAE showed protective effect against CCl(4)-induced chronic liver damage in rats and its potential as an agent in the treatment of chronic liver diseases by protecting hepatocyte from injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibin Feng
- School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, PR China.
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42
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Veselkin E, Kondratyev M, Lurie Y, Ron E, Santo M, Reif S, Elashvili I, Bar L, Lederkremer GZ. A secreted form of the asialoglycoprotein receptor, sH2a, as a novel potential noninvasive marker for liver fibrosis. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27210. [PMID: 22096539 PMCID: PMC3214029 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2011] [Accepted: 10/11/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM The human asialoglycoprotein receptor is a membrane heterooligomer expressed exclusively in hepatocytes. A soluble secreted form, sH2a, arises, not by shedding at the cell surface, but by intracellular cleavage of its membrane-bound precursor, which is encoded by an alternatively spliced form of the receptor H2 subunit. Here we determined and report that sH2a, present at constant levels in serum from healthy individuals is altered upon liver fibrosis, reflecting the status of hepatocyte function. METHODS We measured sH2a levels in serum using a monoclonal antibody and an ELISA assay that we developed, comparing with routine liver function markers. We compared blindly pretreatment serum samples from a cohort of 44 hepatitis C patients, which had METAVIR-scored biopsies, with 28 healthy individuals. RESULTS sH2a levels varied minimally for the healthy individuals (150±21 ng/ml), whereas the levels deviated from this normal range increasingly in correlation with fibrosis stage. A simple algorithm combining sH2a levels with those of alanine aminotransferase allowed prediction of fibrosis stage, with a very high area under the ROC curve of 0.86. CONCLUSIONS sH2a has the potential to be a uniquely sensitive and specific novel marker for liver fibrosis and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Veselkin
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Maria Kondratyev
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Yoav Lurie
- Liver Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Efrat Ron
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Moshe Santo
- Liver Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shimon Reif
- Liver Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Irma Elashvili
- Liver Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Lana Bar
- Liver Unit, Department of Gastroenterology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gerardo Z. Lederkremer
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, George Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail:
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López-Navarrete G, Ramos-Martínez E, Suárez-Álvarez K, Aguirre-García J, Ledezma-Soto Y, León-Cabrera S, Gudiño-Zayas M, Guzmán C, Gutiérrez-Reyes G, Hernández-Ruíz J, Camacho-Arroyo I, Robles-Díaz G, Kershenobich D, Terrazas LI, Escobedo G. Th2-associated alternative Kupffer cell activation promotes liver fibrosis without inducing local inflammation. Int J Biol Sci 2011; 7:1273-86. [PMID: 22110380 PMCID: PMC3221364 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.7.1273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Accepted: 10/01/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cirrhosis is the final outcome of liver fibrosis. Kupffer cell-mediated hepatic inflammation is considered to aggravate liver injury and fibrosis. Alternatively-activated macrophages are able to control chronic inflammatory events and trigger wound healing processes. Nevertheless, the role of alternative Kupffer cell activation in liver harm is largely unclear. Thus, we evaluated the participation of alternatively-activated Kupffer cells during liver inflammation and fibrosis in the murine model of carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage. To stimulate alternative activation in Kupffer cells, 20 Taenia crassiceps (Tc) larvae were inoculated into BALBc/AnN female mice. Six weeks post-inoculation, carbon tetrachloride or olive oil were orally administered to Tc-inoculated and non-inoculated mice twice per week during other six weeks. The initial exposure of animals to T. crassiceps resulted in high serum concentrations of IL-4 accompanied by a significant increase in the hepatic mRNA levels of Ym-1, with no alteration in iNOS expression. In response to carbon tetrachloride, recruitment of inflammatory cell populations into the hepatic parenchyma was 5-fold higher in non-inoculated animals than Tc-inoculated mice. In contrast, carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis was significantly less in non-inoculated animals than in the Tc-inoculated group. The latter showed elevated IL-4 serum levels and low IFN-γ concentrations during the whole experiment, associated with hepatic expression of IL-4, TGF-β, desmin and α-sma, as well as increased mRNA levels of Arg-1, Ym-1, FIZZ-1 and MMR in Kupffer cells. These results suggest that alternative Kupffer cell activation is favored in a Th2 microenvironment, whereby such liver resident macrophages could exhibit a dichotomic role during chronic hepatic damage, being involved in attenuation of the inflammatory response but at the same time exacerbation of liver fibrosis.
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Bernardes de Jesus B, Schneeberger K, Vera E, Tejera A, Harley CB, Blasco MA. The telomerase activator TA-65 elongates short telomeres and increases health span of adult/old mice without increasing cancer incidence. Aging Cell 2011; 10:604-21. [PMID: 21426483 DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2011.00700.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 212] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we show that a small-molecule activator of telomerase (TA-65) purified from the root of Astragalus membranaceus is capable of increasing average telomere length and decreasing the percentage of critically short telomeres and of DNA damage in haploinsufficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) that harbor critically short telomeres and a single copy of the telomerase RNA Terc gene (G3 Terc(+/-) MEFs). Importantly, TA-65 does not cause telomere elongation or rescue DNA damage in similarly treated telomerase-deficient G3 Terc(-/-) littermate MEFs. These results indicate that TA-65 treatment results in telomerase-dependent elongation of short telomeres and rescue of associated DNA damage, thus demonstrating that TA-65 mechanism of action is through the telomerase pathway. In addition, we demonstrate that TA-65 is capable of increasing mouse telomerase reverse transcriptase levels in some mouse tissues and elongating critically short telomeres when supplemented as part of a standard diet in mice. Finally, TA-65 dietary supplementation in female mice leads to an improvement of certain health-span indicators including glucose tolerance, osteoporosis and skin fitness, without significantly increasing global cancer incidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Bernardes de Jesus
- Telomeres and Telomerase Group, Molecular Oncology Program, Spanish National Cancer Centre, Melchor Fernández Almagro 3, Madrid, Spain
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Gao S, Wang M, Ye H, Guo J, Xi D, Wang Z, Zhu C, Yan W, Luo X, Ning Q. Dual interference with novel genes mfgl2 and mTNFR1 ameliorates murine hepatitis virus type 3-induced fulminant hepatitis in BALB/cJ mice. Hum Gene Ther 2011; 21:969-77. [PMID: 20218879 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2009.177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Our studies and those of many others have implicated hepatocyte necrosis and apoptosis mediated by fibrinogen-like protein-2 (fgl2) prothrombinase and tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) in the development of fulminant viral hepatitis, a disease with a mortality rate greater than 80% in cases lacking immediate organ transplantation. This study was designed to explore the efficacy of dual short hairpin RNA (shRNA) interference with fgl2 and TNFR1 in the treatment of murine hepatitis virus strain 3 (MHV-3)-induced fulminant hepatitis in mice. Plasmids p-mfgl2shRNA and p-mTNFR1shRNA, complementary to the sequences for mfgl2 and mTNFR1, were constructed. Plasmids pEGFP-mfgl2 and pEGFP-mTNFR1 expressing mfgl2-EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) and mTNFR1-EGFP fusion proteins were also constructed to screen the inhibitory effect of p-mfgl2shRNA and p-mTNFR1shRNA on mfgl2 and mTNFR1 expression. Cotransfection of individual shRNA plasmids and pcDNA3.0-mfgl2 and pcDNA3.0-mTNFR1 expression constructs into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells significantly inhibited mfgl2 and mTNFR1 gene expression, as evidenced by fluorescence microscopy, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. In vivo hydrodynamic delivery of dual-interference shRNA plasmids for mfgl2 and mTNFR1 significantly decreased mfgl2 and mTNFR1 expression; markedly ameliorated fibrin deposition, hepatocyte necrosis, and apoptosis; and prolonged survival against fulminant viral hepatitis induced by MHV-3 in BALB/cJ mice compared with mfgl2 or TNFR1 single-gene interference. These results indicate that in vivo interference with genes for more than one key target provides superior treatment efficacy compared with single-gene interference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sui Gao
- Department and Institute of Infectious Disease, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074 Wuhan, People's Republic of China
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Lin J, Zhao J, Li T, Zhou J, Hu J, Hong Z. Hepatoprotection in a rat model of acute liver damage through inhibition of CY2E1 activity by total alkaloids extracted from Rubus alceifolius Poir. Int J Toxicol 2011; 30:237-43. [PMID: 21224420 DOI: 10.1177/1091581810390711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We aimed to examine the effect of an alkaloid extract of the roots of Rubus alceifolius Poir on liver damage and cytochrome enzymes, and underlying mechanism. Hepatotoxicity was induced in rats by treatment with carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)). Rats were then treated with the hepatoprotective drug bifendate, or with low, medium, and high doses of an alkaloid extract from the roots of R alceifolius Poir. Both bifendate and alkaloid treatment decreased the increase in liver enzymes and cell damage caused by CCl(4). Carbon tetrachloride treatment alone caused a decrease in total cytochrome P450 content, an increase in CYP2E1 and CYP3A1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels, and an increase in CYP2E1 and a decrease in CYP3A1 enzymatic activity. Alkaloid treatment brought these concentrations and activities back toward normal. In summary, these results suggest that alkaloids from R alceifolius Poir may act to protect the liver through decreasing CYP2E1 enzymatic activity through decreasing its mRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiumao Lin
- Fujian Academy of Integrative Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
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In vitro hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities of crude extract and isolated compounds from Ficus gnaphalocarpa. Inflammopharmacology 2010; 19:35-43. [DOI: 10.1007/s10787-010-0070-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2010] [Accepted: 10/20/2010] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Tazaki T, Sasaki T, Uto K, Yamasaki N, Tashiro S, Sakai R, Tanaka M, Oda H, Honda ZI, Honda H. p130Cas, Crk-associated substrate plays essential roles in liver development by regulating sinusoidal endothelial cell fenestration. Hepatology 2010; 52:1089-99. [PMID: 20623582 DOI: 10.1002/hep.23767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED p130Cas, Crk-associated substrate (Cas), is an adaptor/scaffold protein that plays a central role in actin cytoskeletal reorganization. We previously showed that mice in which Cas was deleted (Cas(-/-)) died in utero because of early cardiovascular maldevelopment. To further investigate the in vivo roles of Cas, we generated mice with a hypomorphic Cas allele lacking the exon 2-derived region (Cas(Deltaex2/Deltaex2)), which encodes Src homology domain 3 (SH3) of Cas. Cas(Deltaex2/Deltaex2) mice again died as embryos, but they particularly showed progressive liver degeneration with hepatocyte apoptosis. Because Cas expression in the liver is preferentially detected in sinusoidal endothelial cells (SECs), the observed hepatocyte apoptosis was most likely ascribable to impaired function of SECs. To address this possibility, we stably introduced a Cas mutant lacking the SH3 domain (Cas DeltaSH3) into an SEC line (NP31). Intriguingly, the introduction of Cas DeltaSH3 induced a loss of fenestrae, the characteristic cell-penetrating pores in SECs that serve as a critical route for supplying oxygen and nutrients to hepatocytes. The disappearance of fenestrae in Cas DeltaSH3-expressing cells was associated with an attenuation of actin stress fiber formation, a marked reduction in tyrosine phosphorylation of Cas, and defective binding of Cas to CrkII. CONCLUSION Cas plays pivotal roles in liver development through the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and formation of fenestrae in SECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Tazaki
- Department of Disease Model, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
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Jeschke MG, Gauglitz GG, Song J, Kulp GA, Finnerty CC, Cox RA, Barral JM, Herndon DN, Boehning D. Calcium and ER stress mediate hepatic apoptosis after burn injury. J Cell Mol Med 2010; 13:1857-65. [PMID: 20141609 DOI: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2009.00644.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of the disease state following severe burn injury is decreased liver function, which results in gross metabolic derangements that compromise patient survival. The underlying mechanisms leading to hepatocyte dysfunction after burn are essentially unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine the underlying mechanisms leading to hepatocyte dysfunction and apoptosis after burn. Rats were randomized to either control (no burn) or burn (60% total body surface area burn) and sacrificed at various time-points. Liver was either perfused to isolate primary rat hepatocytes, which were used for in vitro calcium imaging, or liver was harvested and processed for immunohistology, transmission electron microscopy, mitochondrial isolation, mass spectroscopy or Western blotting to determine the hepatic response to burn injury in vivo. We found that thermal injury leads to severely depleted endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium stores and consequent elevated cytosolic calcium concentrations in primary hepatocytes in vitro. Burn-induced ER calcium depletion caused depressed hepatocyte responsiveness to signalling molecules that regulate hepatic homeostasis, such as vasopressin and the purinergic agonist ATP. In vivo, thermal injury resulted in activation of the ER stress response and major alterations in mitochondrial structure and function - effects which may be mediated by increased calcium release by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors. Our results reveal that thermal injury leads to dramatic hepatic disturbances in calcium homeostasis and resultant ER stress leading to mitochondrial abnormalities contributing to hepatic dysfunction and apoptosis after burn injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc G Jeschke
- Shriners Hospitals for Children, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77550, USA.
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Jeschke MG, Gauglitz GG, Song J, Kulp GA, Finnerty CC, Cox RA, Barral JM, Herndon DN, Boehning D. Calcium and ER stress mediate hepatic apoptosis after burn injury. J Cell Mol Med 2010. [PMID: 20141609 DOI: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2008.00644.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of the disease state following severe burn injury is decreased liver function, which results in gross metabolic derangements that compromise patient survival. The underlying mechanisms leading to hepatocyte dysfunction after burn are essentially unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine the underlying mechanisms leading to hepatocyte dysfunction and apoptosis after burn. Rats were randomized to either control (no burn) or burn (60% total body surface area burn) and sacrificed at various time-points. Liver was either perfused to isolate primary rat hepatocytes, which were used for in vitro calcium imaging, or liver was harvested and processed for immunohistology, transmission electron microscopy, mitochondrial isolation, mass spectroscopy or Western blotting to determine the hepatic response to burn injury in vivo. We found that thermal injury leads to severely depleted endoplasmic reticulum (ER) calcium stores and consequent elevated cytosolic calcium concentrations in primary hepatocytes in vitro. Burn-induced ER calcium depletion caused depressed hepatocyte responsiveness to signalling molecules that regulate hepatic homeostasis, such as vasopressin and the purinergic agonist ATP. In vivo, thermal injury resulted in activation of the ER stress response and major alterations in mitochondrial structure and function - effects which may be mediated by increased calcium release by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors. Our results reveal that thermal injury leads to dramatic hepatic disturbances in calcium homeostasis and resultant ER stress leading to mitochondrial abnormalities contributing to hepatic dysfunction and apoptosis after burn injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc G Jeschke
- Shriners Hospitals for Children, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77550, USA.
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