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Ocker M, Neureiter D. Gene expression inhibitors for the treatment of liver fibrosis: drugs under preclinical and early clinical investigation. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2023; 32:1133-1141. [PMID: 37997755 DOI: 10.1080/13543784.2023.2288075] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Liver fibrosis represents an unmet medical condition with growing incidence and only limited therapeutic options. Interfering with dysregulated gene expression was considered a specific treatment approach, and we are here reviewing the current options to modulate transcription and translation with small molecule inhibitors of involved enzymes, transcription factors or by using non-coding RNA molecules (RNA interference) or DNA antisense oligonucleotides. Despite promising results in preclinical models, only limited data are available from studies in humans. AREAS COVERED This expert opinion provides a general overview of how to interfere with gene expression (transcription and translation) and highlighting recent achievements in liver fibrosis. EXPERT OPINION Many compounds that were explored to modulate gene expression in liver fibrosis (models) were developed as anti-cancer agents. Their use in humans with impaired liver function is often impaired by the lack of specificity to inhibit only fibrosis-related genes in the liver and by associated general toxicity and narrow therapeutic windows. RNAi approaches show a higher degree of specificity and potentially less systemic toxicity. Clinical development in liver fibrosis requires close interaction between pharmaceutical companies and regulatory authorities to address topics like relevant (surrogate) endpoints to achieve meaningful readouts faster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Ocker
- Medical Department, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Cancer Immunology, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- EO Translational Insights Consulting GmbH, Berlin, Germany
- Tacalyx GmbH, Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel Neureiter
- Institute of Pathology, Paracelsus Medical University/University Hospital Salzburg (SALK), Salzburg, Austria
- Cancer Cluster Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
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Jung HJ, An HJ, Gwon MG, Gu H, Bae S, Lee SJ, Kim YA, Leem J, Park KK. Anti-Fibrotic Effect of Synthetic Noncoding Oligodeoxynucleotide for Inhibiting mTOR and STAT3 via the Regulation of Autophagy in an Animal Model of Renal Injury. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27030766. [PMID: 35164031 PMCID: PMC8840279 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27030766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Renal fibrosis is a common process of various kidney diseases. Autophagy is an important cell biology process to maintain cellular homeostasis. In addition, autophagy is involved in the pathogenesis of various renal disease, including acute kidney injury, glomerular diseases, and renal fibrosis. However, the functional role of autophagy in renal fibrosis remains poorly unclear. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a negative regulatory role in autophagy. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an important intracellular signaling that may regulate a variety of inflammatory responses. In addition, STAT3 regulates autophagy in various cell types. Thus, we synthesized the mTOR/STAT3 oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) to regulate the autophagy. The aim of this study was to investigate the beneficial effect of mTOR/STAT3 ODN via the regulation of autophagy appearance on unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal fibrosis. This study showed that UUO induced inflammation, tubular atrophy, and tubular interstitial fibrosis. However, mTOR/STAT3 ODN suppressed UUO-induced renal fibrosis and inflammation. The autophagy markers have no statistically significant relation, whereas mTOR/STAT3 ODN suppressed the apoptosis in tubular cells. These results suggest the possibility of mTOR/STAT3 ODN for preventing renal fibrosis. However, the role of mTOR/STAT3 ODN on autophagy regulation needs to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun Jin Jung
- Department of Urology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea;
| | - Hyun-Jin An
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea; (H.-J.A.); (M.-G.G.); (H.G.); (S.B.); (S.-J.L.); (Y.-A.K.)
| | - Mi-Gyeong Gwon
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea; (H.-J.A.); (M.-G.G.); (H.G.); (S.B.); (S.-J.L.); (Y.-A.K.)
| | - Hyemin Gu
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea; (H.-J.A.); (M.-G.G.); (H.G.); (S.B.); (S.-J.L.); (Y.-A.K.)
| | - Seongjae Bae
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea; (H.-J.A.); (M.-G.G.); (H.G.); (S.B.); (S.-J.L.); (Y.-A.K.)
| | - Sun-Jae Lee
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea; (H.-J.A.); (M.-G.G.); (H.G.); (S.B.); (S.-J.L.); (Y.-A.K.)
| | - Young-Ah Kim
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea; (H.-J.A.); (M.-G.G.); (H.G.); (S.B.); (S.-J.L.); (Y.-A.K.)
| | - Jaechan Leem
- Department of Immunology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea;
| | - Kwan-Kyu Park
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Korea; (H.-J.A.); (M.-G.G.); (H.G.); (S.B.); (S.-J.L.); (Y.-A.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +82-53-650-4149; Fax: +82-53-650-4834
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Ma L, Wang X, Li W, Qu F, Liu Y, Lu J, Su G, Zhao Y. Conjugation of Ginsenoside with Dietary Amino Acids: A Promising Strategy To Suppress Cell Proliferation and Induce Apoptosis in Activated Hepatic Stellate Cells. J Agric Food Chem 2019; 67:10245-10255. [PMID: 31389238 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b03305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Ginseng has been widely used as a functional food in the world because of its well-defined health benefits. Previous studies have confirmed that AD-1, a new ginsenoside derived from ginseng, can ameliorate thioacetamide-induced liver injury and fibrosis in mice. Simultaneously, amino acid supplementation is getting more attention as an important adjuvant therapy in the improvement of hepatopathy. The aim of this study was to conjugate AD-1 with several selected amino acids and investigate the cytotoxicity of the obtained conjugates in activated t-HSC/Cl-6 cells and normal human liver cells (LO2). Structure-activity relationships of conjugates and underlying mechanisms of the effect are also explored. The results indicated that conjugate 7c remarkably inhibited cell proliferation in activated t-HSC/Cl-6 cells (IC50 = 3.8 ± 0.4 μM) and appeared to be nontoxic to LO2. Besides, conjugate 7c had a relatively good plasma stability. Further study demonstrated that inducing S-phase arrest and activation of mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis were included in the mechanisms underlying the efficiency of conjugate 7c. These findings provided further insight into designing functional foods (ginsenoside and amino acid) for the application in prevention or improvement of liver fibrosis.
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Kim JY, An HJ, Kim WH, Gwon MG, Gu H, Park YY, Park KK. Anti-fibrotic Effects of Synthetic Oligodeoxynucleotide for TGF-β1 and Smad in an Animal Model of Liver Cirrhosis. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2017; 8:250-263. [PMID: 28918026 PMCID: PMC5511593 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2017.06.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 06/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Liver fibrosis is characterized by changes in tissue architecture and extracellular matrix composition. Liver fibrosis affects not only hepatocytes but also the non-parenchymal cells such as hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which are essential for maintaining an intact liver structure and function. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is a multifunctional cytokine that induces liver fibrosis through activation of Smad signaling pathways. To improve a new therapeutic approach, synthetic TGF-β1/Smad oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) was used to suppress both TGF-β1 expression and Smad transcription factor using a combination of antisense ODN and decoy ODN. The aims of this study are to investigate the anti-fibrotic effects of TGF-β1/Smad ODN on simultaneous suppressions of both Smad transcription factor and TGF-β1 mRNA expression in the hepatic fibrosis model in vitro and in vivo. Synthetic TGF-β1/Smad ODN effectively inhibits Smad binding activity and TGF-β1 expression. TGF-β1/Smad ODN attenuated the epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and activation of HSCs in TGF-β1-induced AML12 and HSC-T6 cells. TGF-β1/Smad ODN prevented the fibrogenesis and deposition of collagen in CCl4-treated mouse model. Synthetic TGF-β1/Smad ODN demonstrates anti-fibrotic effects that are mediated by the suppression of fibrogenic protein and inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, synthetic TGF-β1/Smad ODN has substantial therapeutic feasibility for the treatment of liver fibrotic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Yeon Kim
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jin An
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Woon-Hae Kim
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi-Gyeong Gwon
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyemin Gu
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon-Yub Park
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Kwan-Kyu Park
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea.
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Papadopoulos K, Wattanaarsakit P, Prasongchean W, Narain R. Gene therapies in clinical trials. Polymers and Nanomaterials for Gene Therapy 2016. [DOI: https:/doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-100520-0.00010-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/14/2023]
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Aravalli RN, Belcher JD, Steer CJ. Liver-targeted gene therapy: Approaches and challenges. Liver Transpl 2015; 21:718-37. [PMID: 25824605 PMCID: PMC9353592 DOI: 10.1002/lt.24122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [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: 12/07/2014] [Revised: 03/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The liver plays a major role in many inherited and acquired genetic disorders. It is also the site for the treatment of certain inborn errors of metabolism that do not directly cause injury to the liver. The advancement of nucleic acid-based therapies for liver maladies has been severely limited because of the myriad untoward side effects and methodological limitations. To address these issues, research efforts in recent years have been intensified toward the development of targeted gene approaches using novel genetic tools, such as zinc-finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats as well as various nonviral vectors such as Sleeping Beauty transposons, PiggyBac transposons, and PhiC31 integrase. Although each of these methods uses a distinct mechanism of gene modification, all of them are dependent on the efficient delivery of DNA and RNA molecules into the cell. This review provides an overview of current and emerging therapeutic strategies for liver-targeted gene therapy and gene repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajagopal N. Aravalli
- Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 54455
| | - John D. Belcher
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 54455
| | - Clifford J. Steer
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 54455,Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 54455
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