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Yuan Y, Cotton K, Samarasekera D, Khetani SR. Engineered Platforms for Maturing Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Liver Cells for Disease Modeling. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2023; 15:1147-1160. [PMID: 36738860 PMCID: PMC10034210 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2023.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Several liver diseases (eg, hepatitis B/C viruses, alcoholic/nonalcoholic fatty liver, malaria, monogenic diseases, and drug-induced liver injury) significantly impact global mortality and morbidity. Species-specific differences in liver functions limit the use of animals to fully elucidate/predict human outcomes; therefore, in vitro human liver models are used for basic and translational research to complement animal studies. However, primary human liver cells are in short supply and display donor-to-donor variability in viability/quality. In contrast, human hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells are a near infinite cell resource that retains the patient/donor's genetic background; however, conventional protocols yield immature phenotypes. HLC maturation can be significantly improved using advanced techniques, such as protein micropatterning to precisely control cell-cell interactions, controlled sized spheroids, organoids with multiple cell types and layers, 3-dimensional bioprinting to spatially control cell populations, microfluidic devices for automated nutrient exchange and to induce liver zonation via soluble factor gradients, and synthetic biology to genetically modify the HLCs to accelerate and enhance maturation. Here, we present design features and characterization for representative advanced HLC maturation platforms and then discuss HLC use for modeling various liver diseases. Lastly, we discuss desirable advances to move this field forward. We anticipate that with continued advances in this space, pluripotent stem cell-derived liver models will provide human-relevant data much earlier in preclinical drug development and reduce animal usage, help elucidate liver disease mechanisms for the discovery of efficacious and safe therapeutics, and be useful as cell-based therapies for patients suffering from end-stage liver failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yuan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kristen Cotton
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Dinithi Samarasekera
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Salman R Khetani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
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2
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Men S, Wang H. Phenobarbital in Nuclear Receptor Activation: An Update. Drug Metab Dispos 2023; 51:210-218. [PMID: 36351837 PMCID: PMC9900862 DOI: 10.1124/dmd.122.000859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Phenobarbital (PB) is a commonly prescribed anti-epileptic drug that can also benefit newborns from hyperbilirubinemia. Being the first drug demonstrating hepatic induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP), PB has since been broadly used as a model compound to study xenobiotic-induced drug metabolism and clearance. Mechanistically, PB-mediated CYP induction is linked to a number of nuclear receptors, such as the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), pregnane X receptor (PXR), and estrogen receptor α, with CAR being the predominant regulator. Unlike prototypical agonistic ligands, PB-mediated activation of CAR does not involve direct binding with the receptor. Instead, dephosphorylation of threonine 38 in the DNA-binding domain of CAR was delineated as a key signaling event underlying PB-mediated indirect activation of CAR. Further studies revealed that such phosphorylation sites appear to be highly conserved among most human nuclear receptors. Interestingly, while PB is a pan-CAR activator in both animals and humans, PB activates human but not mouse PXR. The species-specific role of PB in gene regulation is a key determinant of its implication in xenobiotic metabolism, drug-drug interactions, energy homeostasis, and cell proliferation. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in our understanding of PB-provoked transactivation of nuclear receptors with a focus on CAR and PXR. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Extensive studies using PB as a research tool have significantly advanced our understanding of the molecular basis underlying nuclear receptor-mediated drug metabolism, drug-drug interactions, energy homeostasis, and cell proliferation. In particular, CAR has been established as a cell signaling-regulated nuclear receptor in addition to ligand-dependent functionality. This mini-review highlights the mechanisms by which PB transactivates CAR and PXR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuaiqian Men
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland (S.M., H.W.)
| | - Hongbing Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland (S.M., H.W.)
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Reis-Mendes A, Carvalho F, Remião F, Sousa E, de Lourdes Bastos M, Costa VM. Autophagy (but not metabolism) is a key event in mitoxantrone-induced cytotoxicity in differentiated AC16 cardiac cells. Arch Toxicol 2023; 97:201-216. [PMID: 36216988 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-022-03363-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Mitoxantrone (MTX) is an antineoplastic agent used to treat advanced breast cancer, prostate cancer, acute leukemia, lymphoma and multiple sclerosis. Although it is known to cause cumulative dose-related cardiotoxicity, the underlying mechanisms are still poorly understood. This study aims to compare the cardiotoxicity of MTX and its' pharmacologically active metabolite naphthoquinoxaline (NAPHT) in an in vitro cardiac model, human-differentiated AC16 cells, and determine the role of metabolism in the cardiotoxic effects. Concentration-dependent cytotoxicity was observed after MTX exposure, affecting mitochondrial function and lysosome uptake. On the other hand, the metabolite NAPHT only caused concentration-dependent cytotoxicity in the MTT reduction assay. When assessing the effect of different inhibitors/inducers of metabolism, it was observed that metyrapone (a cytochrome P450 inhibitor) and phenobarbital (a cytochrome P450 inducer) slightly increased MTX cytotoxicity, while 1-aminobenzotriazole (a suicide cytochrome P450 inhibitor) decreased fairly the MTX-triggered cytotoxicity in differentiated AC16 cells. When focusing in autophagy, the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine exacerbated the cytotoxicity caused by MTX and NAPHT, while the autophagy blocker, chloroquine, partially reduced the cytotoxicity of MTX. In addition, we observed a decrease in p62, beclin-1, and ATG5 levels and an increase in LC3-II levels in MTX-incubated cells. In conclusion, in our in vitro model, neither metabolism nor exogenously given NAPHT are major contributors to MTX toxicity as seen by the residual influence of metabolism modulators used on the observed cytotoxicity and by NAPHT's low cytotoxicity profile. Conversely, autophagy is involved in MTX-induced cytotoxicity and MTX seems to act as an autophagy inducer, possibly through p62/LC3-II involvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Reis-Mendes
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Biological Sciences, UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Félix Carvalho
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Biological Sciences, UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Fernando Remião
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Biological Sciences, UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Emília Sousa
- Laboratory of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.,CIIMAR-Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, 4450-208, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria de Lourdes Bastos
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Biological Sciences, UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
| | - Vera Marisa Costa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal. .,Department of Biological Sciences, UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
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Saran C, Fu D, Ho H, Klein A, Fallon JK, Honkakoski P, Brouwer KLR. A novel differentiated HuH-7 cell model to examine bile acid metabolism, transport and cholestatic hepatotoxicity. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14333. [PMID: 35995956 PMCID: PMC9395349 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18174-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatic cell lines serve as economical and reproducible alternatives for primary human hepatocytes. However, the utility of hepatic cell lines to examine bile acid homeostasis and cholestatic toxicity is limited due to abnormal expression and function of bile acid-metabolizing enzymes, transporters, and the absence of canalicular formation. We discovered that culturing HuH-7 human hepatoma cells with dexamethasone (DEX) and 0.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for two weeks, with Matrigel overlay after one week, resulted in a shorter and improved differentiation process. These culture conditions increased the expression and function of the major bile acid uptake and efflux transporters, sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP) and the bile salt export pump (BSEP), respectively, in two-week cultures of HuH-7 cells. This in vitro model was further characterized for expression and function of bile acid-metabolizing enzymes, transporters, and cellular bile acids. Differentiated HuH-7 cells displayed a marked shift in bile acid composition and induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 7A1, CYP8B1, CYP3A4, and bile acid-CoA: amino acid N-acyltransferase (BAAT) mRNAs compared to control. Inhibition of taurocholate uptake and excretion after a 24-h treatment with prototypical cholestatic drugs suggests that differentiated HuH-7 cells are a suitable model to examine cholestatic hepatotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chitra Saran
- Department of Pharmacology, UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Dong Fu
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Henry Ho
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Abigail Klein
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - John K Fallon
- Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Paavo Honkakoski
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.,School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kim L R Brouwer
- Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Rey-Bedon C, Banik P, Gokaltun A, Hofheinz O, Yarmush ML, Uygun MK, Usta OB. CYP450 drug inducibility in NAFLD via an in vitro hepatic model: Understanding drug-drug interactions in the fatty liver. Biomed Pharmacother 2022; 146:112377. [PMID: 35062050 PMCID: PMC8792443 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.112377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Drug-drug-interactions (DDIs) occur when a drug alters the metabolic rate, efficacy, and toxicity of concurrently used drugs. While almost 1 in 4 adults now use at least 3 concurrent prescription drugs in the United States, the Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) prevalence has also risen over 25%. The effect of NALFD on DDIs is largely unknown. NAFLD is characterized by lipid vesicle accumulation in the liver, which can progress to severe steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatic carcinoma. The CYP450 enzyme family dysregulation in NAFLD, which might already alter the efficacy and toxicity of drugs, has been partially characterized. Nevertheless, the drug-induced dysregulation of CYP450 enzymes has not been studied in the fatty liver. These changes in enzymatic inducibility during NAFLD, when taking concurrent drugs, could cause unexpected fatalities through inadvertent DDIs. We have, thus, developed an in vitro model to investigate the CYP450 transcriptional regulation in NAFLD. Specifically, we cultured primary human hepatocytes in a medium containing free fatty acids, high glucose, and insulin for seven days. These cultures displayed intracellular macro-steatosis after 5 days and cytokine secretion resembling NAFLD patients. We further verified the model's dysregulation in the transcription of key CYP450 enzymes. We then exposed the NAFLD model to the drug inducers rifampicin, Omeprazole, and Phenytoin as activators of transcription factors pregnane X receptor (PXR), aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), respectively. In the NAFLD model, Omeprazole maintained an expected induction of CYP1A1, however Phenytoin and Rifampicin showed elevated induction of CYP2B6 and CYP2C9 compared to healthy cultures. We, thus, conclude that the fatty liver could cause aggravated drug-drug interactions in NAFLD or NASH patients related to CYP2B6 and CYP2C9 enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo Rey-Bedon
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
| | - Peony Banik
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Aslihan Gokaltun
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Department of Chemical Engineering, Hacettepe University, 06532 Beytepe, Ankara, Turkey
| | - O Hofheinz
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - Martin L Yarmush
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States
| | - M Korkut Uygun
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA 02114, United States
| | - O Berk Usta
- Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, United States; Shriners Hospitals for Children, Boston, MA 02114, United States.
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Negishi M, Kobayashi K, Sakuma T, Sueyoshi T. Nuclear receptor phosphorylation in xenobiotic signal transduction. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:15210-15225. [PMID: 32788213 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.rev120.007933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear pregnane X receptor (PXR, NR1I2) and constitutive active/androstane receptor (CAR, NR1I3) are nuclear receptors characterized in 1998 by their capability to respond to xenobiotics and activate cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes. An anti-epileptic drug, phenobarbital (PB), activates CAR and its target CYP2B genes, whereas PXR is activated by drugs such as rifampicin and statins for the CYP3A genes. Inevitably, both nuclear receptors have been investigated as ligand-activated nuclear receptors by identifying and characterizing xenobiotics and therapeutics that directly bind CAR and/or PXR to activate them. However, PB, which does not bind CAR directly, presented an alternative research avenue for an indirect ligand-mediated nuclear receptor activation mechanism: phosphorylation-mediated signal regulation. This review summarizes phosphorylation-based mechanisms utilized by xenobiotics to elicit cell signaling. First, the review presents how PB activates CAR (and other nuclear receptors) through a conserved phosphorylation motif located between two zinc fingers within its DNA-binding domain. PB-regulated phosphorylation at this motif enables nuclear receptors to form communication networks, integrating their functions. Next, the review discusses xenobiotic-induced PXR activation in the absence of the conserved DNA-binding domain phosphorylation motif. In this case, phosphorylation occurs at a motif located within the ligand-binding domain to transduce cell signaling that regulates hepatic energy metabolism. Finally, the review delves into the implications of xenobiotic-induced signaling through phosphorylation in disease development and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiko Negishi
- Pharmacogenetics Section, Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
| | - Kaoru Kobayashi
- Department of Biopharmaceutics, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Kiyose, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Sakuma
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ohu University, Koriyama, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Sueyoshi
- Pharmacogenetics Section, Reproductive and Developmental Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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