The anti-fibrotic effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate in bile duct-ligated cholestatic rats and human hepatic stellate LX-2 cells are mediated by the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway

Aim:

(−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is one of the most abundant polyphenols in green tea with strong antioxidant activity and various therapeutic effects. In this study, we investigated the anti-fibrotic effects of EGCG and underlying mechanisms in bile duct-ligated (BDL) rats and a liver fibrosis model in vitro.

Methods:

BDL rats were treated with EGCG (25 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹, po) for 14 d, and then the serum, bile and liver samples were collected. Liver fibrosis was assessed by serum, urine and bile biochemistry analyses and morphological studies of liver tissues. TGF-β1-stimulated human hepatic stellate LX-2 cells were used as a liver fibrosis model in vitro. The expression of liver fibrogenic genes and signaling proteins in the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway was examined using Western blotting and/or real-time PCR.

Results:

In BDL rats, EGCG treatment significantly ameliorates liver necrosis, inflammation and fibrosis, and suppressed expression of the genes associated with liver inflammation and fibrogenesis, including TNF-α, IL-1β, TGF-β1, MMP-9, α-SMA, and COL1A1. In LX-2 cells, application of EGCG (10, 25 μmol/L) dose-dependently suppressed TGF-β1-stimulated expression of COL1A1, MMP-2, MMP-9, TGF-β1, TIMP1, and α-SMA. Furthermore, EGCG significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and Akt in the livers of BDL rats and in TGF-β1-stimulated LX-2 cells. Application of {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"LY294002","term_id":"1257998346","term_text":"LY294002"}}LY294002, a specific inhibitor of PI3K, produced similar effects as EGCG did in TGF-β1-stimulated LX-2 cells, but co-application of EGCG and {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"LY294002","term_id":"1257998346","term_text":"LY294002"}}LY294002 did not produce additive effects.

Conclusion:

EGCG exerts anti-fibrotic effects in BDL rats and TGF-β1-stimulated LX-2 cells in vitro via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/Smad pathway.     

星状神经节阻滞联合丁咯地尔治疗椎动脉型颈椎病的临床观察

目的：观察星状神经节阻滞联合丁咯地尔治疗椎动脉型颈椎病（CSA）的临床效果。方法将120例 CSA 患者分为研究组与对照组,每组60例。研究组给予神经节阻滞联合丁咯地尔静脉注射治疗,对照组单纯采用丁咯地尔静脉注射治疗。测定并比较两组治疗前后椎动脉和基底动脉平均血流速度,观察两组患者治疗效果。结果治疗后,研究组总有效率为95．00％显著高于对照组的71．67％,差异有统计学意义（χ2＝24．474,P ＜0．05）。两组治疗后的椎动脉血流速度较治疗前均明显提升,差异有统计学意义（均 P ＜0．05）;研究组椎动脉血流速度为（38．44±2．20）cm／s 明显高于对照组的（34．36±3．50）cm／s,差异有统计学意义（t＝7．645,P ＜0．05）。两组治疗后基底动脉血流速度较治疗前有均明显提升,差异有统计学意义（均 P ＜0．05）,研究组治疗后椎动脉血流速度（56．34±4．10）cm／s 明显高于对照组的（47．69±3．90）cm／s,差异有统计学意义（t ＝11．841,P ＜0．05）。结论星状神经节阻滞联合丁咯地尔治疗椎动脉型颈椎病临床疗效明显,较单纯采用药物有显著优势,值得进一步推广。     

Lipotoxic hepatocyte-derived exosomal miR-1297 promotes hepatic stellate cell activation through the PTEN signaling pathway in metabolic-associated fatty liver disease

BACKGROUNDExosomes play an important role in metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), but the mechanism by which exosomes participate in MAFLD still remain unclear.AIMTo figure out the function of lipotoxic exosomal miR-1297 in MAFLD.METHODSMicroRNA sequencing was used to detect differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miR) in lipotoxic exosomes derived from primary hepatocytes. Bioinformatic tools were applied to analyze the target genes and pathways regulated by the DE-miRs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was conducted for the verification of DE-miRs. qPCR, western blot, immunofluorescence staining and ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine assay were used to evaluate the function of lipotoxic exosomal miR-1297 on hepatic stellate cells (LX2 cells). A luciferase reporter experiment was performed to confirm the relationship of miR-1297 and its target gene PTEN. RESULTSMicroRNA sequencing revealed that there were 61 exosomal DE-miRs (P < 0.05) with a fold-change > 2 from palmitic acid treated primary hepatocytes compared with the vehicle control group. miR-1297 was the most highly upregulated according to the microRNA sequencing. Bioinformatic tools showed a variety of target genes and pathways regulated by these DE-miRs were related to liver fibrosis. miR-1297 was overexpressed in exosomes derived from lipotoxic hepatocytes by qPCR. Fibrosis promoting genes (α-SMA, PCNA) were altered in LX2 cells after miR-1297 overexpression or miR-1297-rich lipotoxic exosome incubation via qPCR and western blot analysis. Immunofluorescence staining and ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine staining demonstrated that the activation and proliferation of LX2 cells were also promoted after the above treatment. PTEN was found to be the target gene of miR-1297 and knocking down PTEN contributed to the activation and proliferation of LX2 cells via modulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.CONCLUSIONmiR-1297 was overexpressed in exosomes derived from lipotoxic hepatocytes. The lipotoxic hepatocyte-derived exosomal miR-1297 could promote the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells through the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, accelerating the progression of MAFLD.     

黏着斑激酶相关非激酶对肝星状细胞凋亡及细胞外信号调节激酶的影响

目的 应用黏着斑激酶相关非激酶(FRNK)表达质粒瞬时转染纤维连接蛋白(FN)预刺激的肝星状细胞(HSC),探讨FRNK对HSC凋亡及细胞外信号调节激酶(ERK)的影响.方法 在体外,以FN诱导HSC增殖,采用脂质体介导的方法用FRNK表达质粒瞬时转染HSC,应用膜联蛋白/碘化丙啶双标记流式细胞术、DNA凝胶电泳技术和透射电镜技术检测细胞的凋亡,Western blot及RT-PCR方法检测FRNK、黏着斑激酶(FAK),p FAK(Tyr397)、半胱氨酸天冬氨酸特异性蛋白酶-3(caspase-3)、ERK1、p-ERK蛋白及其mRNA表达. 结果FRNK表达质粒成功转染HSC,在翻译后水平抑制FAK磷酸化.与空质粒组比较,FRNK表达质粒转染HSC48 h后,HSC凋亡率由9.28%±1.05%增至25.37%±1.92%(P<0.01),caspase-3蛋白由185.82±9.69增至264.17±12.60(P<0.01),caspase-3 mRNA由1.07±0.27增至4.19±0.48(P<0.01).FRNK抑制FAK磷酸化和在翻译和转录水平抑制ERK1、p-ERK的表达,而FN则促进FAK和ERK1,p-ERK在翻译和转录水平的表达. 结论在脂质体介导下瞬时转染FRNK表达质粒,可使外源性的FRNK在HSC内大量表达,在翻译后水平抑制FAK磷酸化;并可能通过FAK-ERK信号转导通路诱导FN刺激的HSC发生凋亡.     

氧化苦参碱对大鼠肝星状细胞增殖的影响

目的:研究氧化苦参碱对大鼠肝星状细胞增殖的影响,探讨其抗肝纤维化的机理。方法:用链霉蛋白酶和胶原酶原位灌流,Nycodenz密度梯度离心分离大鼠肝星状细胞,并以MTT比色法观察氧化苦参碱对肝星状细胞增殖的效应。结果:氧化苦参碱可影响肝星状细胞的增殖,氧化苦参碱浓度在0.5～16μg/ml时对肝星状细胞增殖有抑制作用(P<0.01)。结论:氧化苦参碱可抑制肝星状细胞增殖,有抗肝纤维化的作用。     

Effects of dietary supplementation with vitamin E and selenium on rat hepatic stellate cell apoptosis

AIM: To evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with vitamin E and selenium on proliferation and apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), in acute liver injury induced by CCl4, and to explore their role in the recovery from hepatic fibrosis phase. METHODS: An acute liver damage model of rats was established by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (0.3 mL/100 g body weight) twice a week, then the rats were killed at 6, 24, 48, and 72 h after the first and third injection, respectively. A liver fibrosis model was established by the same injection for 8 wk. Then three rats were killed at 3, 7,14, and 28 d after the last injection, respectively. The rats from the intervention group were fed with chow supplemented with vitamin E (250 mg/kg) and selenium (0.2 mg/kg), and the rats in the normal control group and pathological group were given standard chow. Livers were harvested and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Sirius red. Activated HSCs were determined by α-smooth muscle actin immunohistochemistry staining. Apoptotic HSCs were determined by dual staining with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and α-smooth muscle actin immunohistochemistry. Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were also analyzed. RESULTS: In the acute liver damage model, the degree of liver injury was more serious in the pathological group than in the intervention group. At each time point, the number of activated HSCs was less in the intervention group than in the pathological group, while the number of apoptotic HSCs was more in the intervention group than in the pathological group. In the liver fibrosis model, the degree of liver fibrosis was more serious in the pathological group than in the intervention group. At each time point, the number of activated HSCs was less in the intervention group than in the pathological group, and the number of apoptotic HSCs was more in the intervention group than in the pathological group. CONCLUSION: Vitamin E and selenium supplementation at the given level can inhibit CCl4-induced activation and proliferation of HSCs and promote the apoptosis of activated HSCs in acute damage phase. Vitamin E and selenium can also effectively decrease the degree of hepatic fibrosis and promote the recovery process.     

Selective phytochemicals targeting pancreatic stellate cells as new anti-fibrotic agents for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer

Activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) have been widely accepted as a key precursor of excessive pancreatic fibrosis, which is a crucial hallmark of chronic pancreatitis (CP) and its formidable associated disease, pancreatic cancer (PC). Hence, anti-fibrotic therapy has been identified as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating CP and PC by targeting PSCs. Most of the anti-fibrotic agents have been limited to phase I/II clinical trials involving vitamin analogs, which are abundant in medicinal plants and have proved to be promising for clinical application. The use of phytomedicines, as new anti-fibrotic agents, has been applied to a variety of complementary and alternative approaches. The aim of this review was to present a focused update on the selective new potential anti-fibrotic agents, including curcumin, resveratrol, rhein, emodin, green tea catechin derivatives, metformin, eruberin A, and ellagic acid, in combating PSC in CP and PC models. It aimed to describe the mechanism(s) of the phytochemicals used, either alone or in combination, and the associated molecular targets. Most of them were tested in PC models with similar mechanism of actions, and curcumin was tested intensively. Future research may explore the issues of bioavailability, drug design, and nano-formulation, in order to achieve successful clinical outcomes with promising activity and tolerability.     

Mechanism of autoimmune hepatic fibrogenesis induced by an adenovirus encoding the human liver autoantigen cytochrome P450 2D6

Autoimmune hepatitis type 2 (AIH-2) is a severe autoimmune liver disease with unknown etiology. We recently developed the CYP2D6 mouse model for AIH-2, in which mice are challenged with an adenovirus (Ad-2D6) expressing human cytochrome P450 2D6 (hCYP2D6), the major autoantigen in AIH-2. Such mice develop chronic hepatitis with cellular infiltrations and generation of hCYP2D6-specific antibodies and T cells. Importantly, the CYP2D6 model represents the only model displaying chronic fibrosis allowing for a detailed investigation of the mechanisms of chronic autoimmune-mediated liver fibrogenesis. We found that hCYP2D6-dependent chronic activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) resulted in an increased extracellular matrix deposition and elevated expression of α-smooth muscle actin predominantly in and underneath the liver capsule. The route of Ad-2D6 infection dramatically influenced the activation and trafficking of inflammatory monocytes, NK cells and hCYP2D6-specific T cells. Intraperitoneal Ad-2D6 infection caused subcapsular fibrosis and persistent clustering of inflammatory monocytes. In contrast, intravenous infection caused an accumulation of hCYP2D6-specific CD4 T cells throughout the liver parenchyma and induced a strong NK cell response preventing chronic HSC activation and fibrosis. In summary, we found that the location of the initial site of inflammation and autoantigen expression caused a differential cellular trafficking and activation and thereby determined the outcome of AIH-2-like hepatic damage and fibrosis.     

大黄蔗虫丸对大鼠肝星状细胞活化及增殖的影响

目的观察大黄蔗虫丸对大鼠肝星状细胞活化及增殖的影响。方法用链酶蛋白酶和胶原酶原位灌注消化正常大鼠肝脏,Nycodenz密度梯度离心分离肝星状细胞(HSC),在制备大黄蔗虫丸大鼠药物血清的基础上,温育HSC。MTT比色法测定细胞增殖,流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡及增殖周期情况。结果药物血清对体外培养的HSC有抑制作用,且存在浓度剂量依赖关系,但作用较弱,需在20%以上方见到显著性差异(P<0.05),对HSC凋亡及细胞增殖周期则无显著影响(P>0.05)。结论大黄蔗虫丸对HSC增殖有一定抑制作用,但可能不是其抗肝纤维化作用的主要途径,其抗肝纤维化作用与诱导细胞凋亡无关。