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Abstract
Fibrosis can occur in all major organs with relentless progress, ultimately leading to organ failure and potentially death. Unfortunately, current clinical treatments cannot prevent or reverse tissue fibrosis. Thus, new and effective antifibrotic therapeutics are urgently needed. In recent years, a growing body of research shows that macrophages are involved in fibrosis. Macrophages are highly heterogeneous, polarizing into different phenotypes. Some studies have found that regulating macrophage polarization can inhibit the development of inflammation and cancer. However, the exact mechanism of macrophage polarization in different tissue fibrosis has not been fully elucidated. This review will discuss the major signaling pathways relevant to macrophage-driven fibrosis and profibrotic macrophage polarization, the role of macrophage polarization in fibrosis of lung, kidney, liver, skin, and heart, potential therapeutics targets, and investigational drugs currently in development, and hopefully, provide a useful review for the future treatment of fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huidan Yang
- Department of Rheumatology, Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Hao Cheng
- Department of Rheumatology, Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Rongrong Dai
- Department of Rheumatology, Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Lili Shang
- Department of Rheumatology, Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Xiaoying Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology, Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Hongyan Wen
- Department of Rheumatology, Shanxi Medical University Second Affiliated Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
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Cao Y, Mai W, Li R, Deng S, Li L, Zhou Y, Qin Q, Zhang Y, Zhou X, Han M, Liang P, Yan Y, Hao Y, Xie W, Yan J, Zhu L. Macrophages evoke autophagy of hepatic stellate cells to promote liver fibrosis in NAFLD mice via the PGE2/EP4 pathway. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:303. [PMID: 35588334 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04319-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The pathogenesis of liver fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unclear and the effective treatments have not been explored yet. The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is considered as the most critical factor in the progression of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Autophagy has recently been identified as a new mechanism to regulate HSC activation. Here, we found that liver macrophages were polarized toward type 2 (M2) during the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and liver fibrosis in both patients and NAFLD mice. Using the methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet NAFLD murine model and the in vitro cell culture system, we identified that the M2 macrophages promoted HSC autophagy by secreting prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and binding its receptor EP4 on the surface of HSCs, which consequently enhanced HSC activation, extracellular matrix deposition, and liver fibrosis. Mechanistically, PGE2/EP4 signals enhanced HSC autophagy through the Erk pathway. A specific PGE2/EP4 antagonist E7046 significantly inhibited M2 macrophage-mediated HSC autophagy and improved liver fibrosis and histopathology in NAFLD mice. Our study provides novel mechanistic insights into the regulation of HSC activation and liver fibrosis. Our findings suggest that the PGE2/EP4 pathway is a promising therapeutic target to prevent NASH progression into cirrhosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Cao
- Center of Liver Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Weili Mai
- Center of Liver Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital of the Southern Theater of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Guangzhou, 510030, China
| | - Rui Li
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Shuwei Deng
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Lan Li
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Yanxi Zhou
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Qiushi Qin
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,Institute of Infectious Diseases, Peking University Ditan Teaching Hospital, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Yue Zhang
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Xingang Zhou
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Ming Han
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Pu Liang
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Yonghong Yan
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Yu Hao
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China
| | - Wen Xie
- Center of Liver Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.
| | - Jie Yan
- Center of Liver Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.
| | - Liuluan Zhu
- Beijing Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, China. .,Beijing Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China. .,National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100015, China.
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