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Griffett K, Hayes M, Bedia-Diaz G, Appourchaux K, Sanders R, Boeckman MP, Koelblen T, Zhang J, Schulman IG, Elgendy B, Burris TP. Antihyperlipidemic Activity of Gut-Restricted LXR Inverse Agonists. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:1143-1154. [PMID: 35417135 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Hyperlipidemia and increased circulating cholesterol levels are associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. The liver X receptors (LXRs) are regulators of de novo lipogenesis and cholesterol transport and have been validated as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of atherosclerosis. However, efforts to develop LXR agonists to reduce cardiovascular diseases have failed due to poor clinical outcomes-associated increased hepatic lipogenesis and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (C). Here, we report that LXR inverse agonists are effective in lowering plasma LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in several models of hyperlipidemia, including the Ldlr null mouse model of atherosclerosis. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that LXR directly regulates the expression of Soat2 enzyme in the intestine, which is directly responsible for the re-uptake or excretion of circulating lipids. Oral administration of a gut-specific LXR inverse agonist leads to reduction of Soat2 expression in the intestine and effectively lowers circulating LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels without modulating LXR target genes in the periphery. In summary, our studies highlight the therapeutic potential of the gut-restricted molecules to treat hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis through the intestinal LXR-Soat2 axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Griffett
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn, Alabama 36849, United States
| | - Matthew Hayes
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Gonzalo Bedia-Diaz
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Kevin Appourchaux
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Ryan Sanders
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Michael P. Boeckman
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Thomas Koelblen
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
| | - Jinsong Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63104, United States
| | - Ira G. Schulman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903, United States
| | - Bahaa Elgendy
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, United States
| | - Thomas P. Burris
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, Florida 32610, United States
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Abstract
REV-ERBs are atypical nuclear receptors as they function as ligand-regulated transcriptional repressors. The natural ligand for the REV-ERBs (REV-ERBα and REV-ERBβ) is heme, and heme-binding results in recruitment of transcriptional corepressor proteins such as N-CoR that mediates repression of REV-ERB target genes. These two receptors regulate a large range of physiological processes including several important in the pathophysiology of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). These include carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as well as inflammatory pathways. A number of synthetic REV-ERB agonists have been developed as chemical tools and they show efficacy in animal models of NASH. Here, we will review the functions of REV-ERB with regard to their relevance to NASH as well as the potential to target REV-ERB for treatment of this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristine Griffett
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University in St. Louis and University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Matthew E Hayes
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Michael P Boeckman
- Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Washington University in St. Louis and University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Thomas P Burris
- University of Florida Genetics Institute, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA.
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