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Miao B, Ge L, He C, Wang X, Wu J, Li X, Chen K, Wan J, Xing S, Ren L, Shi Z, Liu S, Hu Y, Chen J, Yu Y, Feng L, Flores NM, Liang Z, Xu X, Wang R, Zhou J, Fan J, Xiang B, Li E, Mao Y, Cheng J, Zhao K, Mazur PK, Cai J, Lan F. SMYD5 is a ribosomal methyltransferase that catalyzes RPL40 lysine methylation to enhance translation output and promote hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell Res 2024:10.1038/s41422-024-01013-3. [PMID: 39103523 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-024-01013-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024] Open
Abstract
While lysine methylation is well-known for regulating gene expression transcriptionally, its implications in translation have been largely uncharted. Trimethylation at lysine 22 (K22me3) on RPL40, a core ribosomal protein located in the GTPase activation center, was first reported 27 years ago. Yet, its methyltransferase and role in translation remain unexplored. Here, we report that SMYD5 has robust in vitro activity toward RPL40 K22 and primarily catalyzes RPL40 K22me3 in cells. The loss of SMYD5 and RPL40 K22me3 leads to reduced translation output and disturbed elongation as evidenced by increased ribosome collisions. SMYD5 and RPL40 K22me3 are upregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and negatively correlated with patient prognosis. Depleting SMYD5 renders HCC cells hypersensitive to mTOR inhibition in both 2D and 3D cultures. Additionally, the loss of SMYD5 markedly inhibits HCC development and growth in both genetically engineered mouse and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, with the inhibitory effect in the PDX model further enhanced by concurrent mTOR suppression. Our findings reveal a novel role of the SMYD5 and RPL40 K22me3 axis in translation elongation and highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting SMYD5 in HCC, particularly with concurrent mTOR inhibition. This work also conceptually broadens the understanding of lysine methylation, extending its significance from transcriptional regulation to translational control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bisi Miao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ling Ge
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenxi He
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinghao Wang
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Jibo Wu
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Xiang Li
- Minhang Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinkai Wan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shenghui Xing
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lingnan Ren
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhennan Shi
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shengnan Liu
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Yajun Hu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiajia Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanyan Yu
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Lijian Feng
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Natasha M Flores
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Zhihui Liang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xinyi Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Ruoxin Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Zhou
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia Fan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Xiang
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai, China
| | - En Li
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanhui Mao
- Department of Neurology of The Second Affiliated Hospital & Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jingdong Cheng
- Minhang Hospital & Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kehao Zhao
- China Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Shanghai, China
| | - Pawel K Mazur
- Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Jiabin Cai
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Fei Lan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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2
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Kabil MF, Gaber SAA, Hamzawy MA, El-Sherbiny IM, Nasr M. Folic/lactobionic acid dual-targeted polymeric nanocapsules for potential treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2024; 14:1338-1351. [PMID: 37930630 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-023-01467-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignant tumor that affects many patients diagnosed with hepatic cell inflammation and liver cirrhosis. Targeted polymeric nanocapsules could facilitate the internalization and accumulation of anticancer drugs. Dual-targeted folic acid/lactobionic acid-poly lactic co-glycolic acid nanocapsules (NCs) were prepared and loaded with pterostilbene (PTN) and characterized for their physicochemical properties, as well as in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity. NCs displayed a size of 222 nm, zeta potential of - 16.5 mV, and sustained release for 48 h. The IC50 of PTN NCs (5.87 ± 0.8 µg/mL) was 20 times lower than unencapsulated PTN (121.26 ± 9.42 µg/mL) on HepG2 liver cancer cells owing to the enhanced cellular uptake of the former, as delineated by flow cytometry. In vivo study on HCC-induced animals delineated the superiority of the dual-targeted NCs over the unencapsulated PTN, which significantly reduced the liver markers ALT, AST, and ALP, as well as the tumor-related markers AFP and Bcl2, and elevated the anti-apoptotic marker caspase 3. Furthermore, the NCs significantly reduced the oxidative stress and exhibited almost comparable histological features to the normal group. Therefore, it can be concluded that the dual-ligated folic acid/lactobionic acid nanocapsules can be considered a promising potential treatment option for hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Fawzi Kabil
- Nanomedicine Research Labs, Center for Materials Science, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza, Egypt
| | - Sara A Abdel Gaber
- Nanomedicine Department, Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Kafr Elsheikh University, Kafr Elsheikh, Egypt
| | - Mohamed A Hamzawy
- Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt
| | - Ibrahim M El-Sherbiny
- Nanomedicine Research Labs, Center for Materials Science, Zewail City of Science and Technology, Giza, Egypt
| | - Maha Nasr
- Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
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3
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Zhang Q, Liu Y, Ren L, Li J, Lin W, Lou L, Wang M, Li C, Jiang Y. Proteomic analysis of DEN and CCl 4-induced hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model. Sci Rep 2024; 14:8013. [PMID: 38580754 PMCID: PMC10997670 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58587-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) seriously threatens human health, mostly developed from liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. Since diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced HCC mouse model almost recapitulates the characteristic of HCC with fibrosis and inflammation, it is taken as an essential tool to investigate the pathogenesis of HCC. However, a comprehensive understanding of the protein expression profile of this model is little. In this study, we performed proteomic analysis of this model to elucidate its proteomic characteristics. Compared with normal liver tissues, 432 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in tumor tissues, among which 365 were up-regulated and 67 were down-regulated. Through Gene Ontology (GO) analysis, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA), protein-protein interaction networks (PPI) analysis and Gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analysis of DEPs, we identified two distinguishing features of DEN and CCl4-induced HCC mouse model in protein expression, the upregulation of actin cytoskeleton and branched-chain amino acids metabolic reprogramming. In addition, matching DEPs from the mouse model to homologous proteins in the human HCC cohort revealed that the DEN and CCl4-induced HCC mouse model was relatively similar to the subtype of HCC with poor prognosis. Finally, combining clinical information from the HCC cohort, we screened seven proteins with prognostic significance, SMAD2, PTPN1, PCNA, MTHFD1L, MBOAT7, FABP5, and AGRN. Overall, we provided proteomic data of the DEN and CCl4-induced HCC mouse model and highlighted the important proteins and pathways in it, contributing to the rational application of this model in HCC research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yuhui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Liangliang Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Junqing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China
- School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Weiran Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Lijuan Lou
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Minghan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Chaoying Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Ying Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicle Proteomics, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing, 102206, China.
- School of Basic Medical Science, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China.
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4
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Sun J, Esplugues E, Bort A, Cardelo MP, Ruz-Maldonado I, Fernández-Tussy P, Wong C, Wang H, Ojima I, Kaczocha M, Perry R, Suárez Y, Fernández-Hernando C. Fatty acid binding protein 5 suppression attenuates obesity-induced hepatocellular carcinoma by promoting ferroptosis and intratumoral immune rewiring. Nat Metab 2024; 6:741-763. [PMID: 38664583 DOI: 10.1038/s42255-024-01019-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Due to the rise in overnutrition, the incidence of obesity-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) will continue to escalate; however, our understanding of the obesity to HCC developmental axis is limited. We constructed a single-cell atlas to interrogate the dynamic transcriptomic changes during hepatocarcinogenesis in mice. Here we identify fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) as a driver of obesity-induced HCC. Analysis of transformed cells reveals that FABP5 inhibition and silencing predispose cancer cells to lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis-induced cell death. Pharmacological inhibition and genetic ablation of FABP5 ameliorates the HCC burden in male mice, corresponding to enhanced ferroptosis in the tumour. Moreover, FABP5 inhibition induces a pro-inflammatory tumour microenvironment characterized by tumour-associated macrophages with increased expression of the co-stimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 and increased CD8+ T cell activation. Our work unravels the dual functional role of FABP5 in diet-induced HCC, inducing the transformation of hepatocytes and an immunosuppressive phenotype of tumour-associated macrophages and illustrates FABP5 inhibition as a potential therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Sun
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Enric Esplugues
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Alicia Bort
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Magdalena P Cardelo
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Inmaculada Ruz-Maldonado
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Pablo Fernández-Tussy
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Clara Wong
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Hehe Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Iwao Ojima
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, New York, NY, USA
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Stony Brook University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Martin Kaczocha
- Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Stony Brook University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, Renaissance School of Medicine. Stony Brook University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel Perry
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Medicine (Endocrinology), Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Yajaira Suárez
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Carlos Fernández-Hernando
- Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Center for Molecular and System Metabolism, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Bi Y, Zhang L, Song Y, Sun L, Mulholland MW, Yin Y, Zhang W. Rspo2-LGR4 exacerbates hepatocellular carcinoma progression via activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. GASTROENTEROLOGIA Y HEPATOLOGIA 2024; 47:352-365. [PMID: 37437654 PMCID: PMC10863972 DOI: 10.1016/j.gastrohep.2023.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 4 (LGR4) plays an important role in stem cell differentiation, organ development and cancer. Whether LGR4 affects the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. This study aimed to reveal the role of LGR4 in HCC. METHODS Clinical samples of HCC were collected to assess the expression of LGR4 and its correlation with patients' clinical characteristics. The expression level of LGR4 in HCC cells was altered by pharmacological and genetic methods, and the role of LGR4 in HCC progression was analyzed by in vivo and in vitro assays. HCC was induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in wild-type and LGR4 deficient mice, the effect of LGR4 on HCC was examined by histopathological evaluation and biochemical assays. RESULTS LGR4 expression was up-regulated in HCC samples, and its expression level was positively correlated with tumor size, microvascular invasion (MVI), TNM stage and pathological differentiation grade of HCC patients. In the mouse HCC model induced by DEN+CCl4, knockdown of LGR4 effectively inhibited the progression of HCC. Silencing of LGR4 inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, stem cell-like properties and Warburg effect of HCC cells. These phenotypes were promoted by R-spondin2 (Rspo2), an endogenous ligand for LGR4. Rspo2 markedly increased the nuclear translocation of β-catenin, whereas IWR-1, an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling, reversed its effect. Deficiency of LGR4 significantly reduced the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and the expression of its downstream target genes cyclinD1 and c-Myc. CONCLUSIONS LGR4 promotes HCC progression via Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanghui Bi
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Liping Zhang
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yan Song
- First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lijun Sun
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Michael W Mulholland
- Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Yue Yin
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Science, Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China.
| | - Weizhen Zhang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China; Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Jia Y, Zhao J, Wang C, Meng J, Zhao L, Yang H, Zhao X. HBV DNA polymerase upregulates the transcription of PD-L1 and suppresses T cell activity in hepatocellular carcinoma. J Transl Med 2024; 22:272. [PMID: 38475878 PMCID: PMC10936085 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05069-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In HBV-associated HCC, T cells often exhibit a state of functional exhaustion, which prevents the immune response from rejecting the tumor and allows HCC to progress. Moreover, polymerase-specific T cells exhibit more severe T-cell exhaustion compared to core-specific T cells. However, whether HBV DNA polymerase drives HBV-specific CD8+ T cell exhaustion in HBV-related HCC remains unclear. METHODS We constructed a Huh7 cell line stably expressing HA-HBV-DNA-Pol and applied co-culture systems to clarify its effect on immune cell function. We also examined how HBV-DNA-Pol modulated PD-L1 expression in HCC cells. In addition, HBV-DNA-Pol transgenic mice were used to elucidate the underlying mechanism of HBV-DNA-Pol/PD-L1 axis-induced T cell exhaustion. RESULTS Biochemical analysis showed that Huh7 cells overexpressing HBV-DNA-Pol inhibited the proliferation, activation, and cytokine secretion of Jurkat cells and that this effect was dependent on their direct contact. A similar inhibitory effect was observed in an HCC mouse model. PD-L1 was brought to our attention during screening. Our results showed that the overexpression of HBV-DNA-Pol upregulated PD-L1 mRNA and protein expression. PD-L1 antibody blockade reversed the inhibitory effect of Huh7 cells overexpressing HBV-DNA-Pol on Jurkat cells. Mechanistically, HBV-DNA-Pol interacts with PARP1, thereby inhibiting the nuclear translocation of PARP1 and further upregulating PD-L1 expression. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that HBV-DNA-Pol can act as a regulator of PD-L1 in HCC, thereby directing anti-cancer immune evasion, which further provides a new idea for the clinical treatment of liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Jia
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, 300211, China
| | - Jianing Zhao
- Department of Pathology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050011, China
| | - Chunqing Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong Medicine and Health Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Jing Meng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China
| | - Liqing Zhao
- Department of Pediatrics, Zaozhuang Municipal Hospital, Zaozhuang, 277100, China
| | - Hongwei Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, 300211, China
| | - Xiaoqing Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Second Hospital, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, 250033, China.
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7
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Repáraz D, Casares N, Fuentes A, Navarro F. Establishment of a murine hepatocellular carcinoma model by hydrodynamic injection and characterization of the immune tumor microenvironment. Methods Cell Biol 2024; 185:79-97. [PMID: 38556453 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2024.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent malignant neoplasms. Current treatments for HCC, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, have limited efficacy, highlighting the urgent need for better therapies. Immunotherapies, including anti-programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) and anti-Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), and more recently, the combination of anti-PD-L1 and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibodies, have shown efficacy against HCC, resulting in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. However, these immunotherapies only show efficiency in a small proportion of patients, meaning there is a great need to improve and optimize treatments against HCC. Accurate animal models that mimic human HCC are necessary to help better understand the nature of these tumors, which in turn will allow the development and testing of new treatments. Existing pre-clinical HCC models can be divided into non-genetic and genetic models. Non-genetic models involve implanting human or murine HCC cell lines or inducing tumors using chemical compounds or dietary modifications. These models have limitations, including slow tumor development and a lack of resemblance to human HCC. Genetic models, on the other hand, manipulate gene expression to induce HCC in mice and provide a better understanding of the effects of specific genes on tumor development. One method commonly used to generate HCC is hydrodynamic tail vein injection (HTVI), which consists of the delivery of oncogenes directly to the liver, resulting in expression and subsequent hepatocyte transformation. Usually, Sleeping Beauty transposase-containing plasmids are used to achieve stable and long-term gene expression. Once the HCC tumor is generated, and a proper tumor microenvironment (TME) is established, it is important to study the immune compartment of the TME, which plays a crucial role in HCC development and response to treatment. Techniques like flow cytometry can be used to analyze the immune cell populations in HCC tumors and assess their impact on tumor development and survival in mice. In this article, we thoroughly describe an example of the methodology to successfully generate HCC murine models via HTVI, and we propose a way to characterize the immune TME by flow cytometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Repáraz
- Radio-Oncology Department, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Noelia Casares
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Navarra, Spain
| | - Andrea Fuentes
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Navarra, Spain
| | - Flor Navarro
- Programa de Inmunología e Inmunoterapia, Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Navarra, Spain.
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Benichou E, Seffou B, Topçu S, Renoult O, Lenoir V, Planchais J, Bonner C, Postic C, Prip-Buus C, Pecqueur C, Guilmeau S, Alves-Guerra MC, Dentin R. The transcription factor ChREBP Orchestrates liver carcinogenesis by coordinating the PI3K/AKT signaling and cancer metabolism. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1879. [PMID: 38424041 PMCID: PMC10904844 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45548-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells integrate multiple biosynthetic demands to drive unrestricted proliferation. How these cellular processes crosstalk to fuel cancer cell growth is still not fully understood. Here, we uncover the mechanisms by which the transcription factor Carbohydrate responsive element binding protein (ChREBP) functions as an oncogene during hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Mechanistically, ChREBP triggers the expression of the PI3K regulatory subunit p85α, to sustain the activity of the pro-oncogenic PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in HCC. In parallel, increased ChREBP activity reroutes glucose and glutamine metabolic fluxes into fatty acid and nucleic acid synthesis to support PI3K/AKT-mediated HCC growth. Thus, HCC cells have a ChREBP-driven circuitry that ensures balanced coordination between PI3K/AKT signaling and appropriate cell anabolism to support HCC development. Finally, pharmacological inhibition of ChREBP by SBI-993 significantly suppresses in vivo HCC tumor growth. Overall, we show that targeting ChREBP with specific inhibitors provides an attractive therapeutic window for HCC treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Benichou
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Bolaji Seffou
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Selin Topçu
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Ophélie Renoult
- Nantes Université, INSERM U1307, CNRS 6075, CRCI2NA, Nantes, France
| | - Véronique Lenoir
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Julien Planchais
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Caroline Bonner
- Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille, France
- INSERM, U1011, Lille, France
- European Genomic Institute for Diabetes, Lille, France
- Université de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Catherine Postic
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Carina Prip-Buus
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France
| | - Claire Pecqueur
- Nantes Université, INSERM U1307, CNRS 6075, CRCI2NA, Nantes, France
| | - Sandra Guilmeau
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France
| | | | - Renaud Dentin
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, INSERM, CNRS, F-75014, Paris, France.
- Institut Cochin, Faculté de Médecine 3ème étage, 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, 75014, Paris, France.
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9
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Lambertucci F, Motiño O, Pérez-Lanzón M, Li S, Plantureux C, Pol J, Maiuri MC, Kroemer G, Martins I. Isolation of Primary Mouse Hepatocytes and Non-Parenchymal Cells from a Liver with Precancerous Lesions. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2769:109-128. [PMID: 38315393 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3694-7_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
In the early stages of liver carcinogenesis, rare hepatocytes and cholangiocytes are transformed into preneoplastic cells, which can progressively acquire a neoplastic phenotype, favored by the failure of natural antitumor immunosurveillance. The detailed study of both hepatic parenchymal (e.g., hepatocytes) and non-parenchymal cells (NPCs), such as immune cells, could help understand the cellular microenvironment surrounding these pre-cancerous and neoplastic lesions.Cultures of primary hepatocytes are of interest in various biomedical research disciplines, serving as an ex vivo model for liver physiology. Obtaining high viability and yield of primary mouse hepatocytes and other liver cell populations is technically challenging, thus limiting their use. In the first section of the current chapter, we introduce a protocol based on the two-step collagenase perfusion technique (by inferior vena cava) to isolate hepatocytes and, to a lower extent, NPCs and detailed the different considerations to take into account for a successful perfusion. The liver is washed by perfusion, hepatocytes are dissociated with collagenase, and different cell populations are separated by centrifugation. Various techniques have been described for the isolation of healthy and malignant hepatocytes; however, the viability and purity of the isolated cells is frequently not satisfactory. Here, we significantly optimized this protocol to reach improved yield and viability of the hepatocytes and concomitantly obtain preserved NPC populations of the liver.Within NPCs, tissue-resident or recruited immune cells are essential actors regulating hepatocarcinogenesis. However, simultaneous isolation of hepatic leukocytes together with other cell types generally yields low immune cell numbers hindering downstream application with these cells. In the second section of this chapter, as opposed to the first section primarily aiming to isolate hepatocytes, we present a tissue dissociation protocol adapted to efficiently recover leukocytes from non-perfused bulk (pre-)cancerous livers. This protocol has been optimized to be operator-friendly and fast compared to other liver processing methods, allowing easy simultaneous sample processing to retrieve hepatic (tumor-infiltrating) immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavia Lambertucci
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Omar Motiño
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Maria Pérez-Lanzón
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Sijing Li
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université de Paris Saclay, Kremlin Bicêtre, France
| | - Céleste Plantureux
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université de Paris Saclay, Kremlin Bicêtre, France
| | - Jonathan Pol
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Maria Chiara Maiuri
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Department of Biology, Institut du Cancer Paris CARPEM, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Isabelle Martins
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.
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10
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Pérez-Lanzón M, Plantureux C, Paillet J, Sotty J, Soussan P, Kroemer G, Maiuri MC, Pol J. Flow Cytometry Assessment of Lymphocyte Populations Infiltrating Liver Tumors. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2769:129-141. [PMID: 38315394 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3694-7_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Tissue-resident and recruited immune cells are essential mediators of natural and therapy-induced immunosurveillance of liver neoplasia. This idea has been recently reinforced by the clinical approval of immune checkpoint inhibitors for the immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Such research progress relies on the in-depth characterization of the immune populations that are present in pre-neoplastic and neoplastic hepatic lesions. A convenient technology for advancing along this path is high-dimensional cytometry.In this chapter, we present a protocol to assess the subtype and differentiation state of hepatic lymphocyte populations by multicolor immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry. We detail the steps required for viability assessment and immune cell phenotyping of single-cell suspensions of liver cells by means of surface and intracellular staining of more than a dozen markers of interest. This protocol does not require prior removal of debris and dead cells and allows to process multiple samples in parallel. The procedure includes the use of a fixative-resistant viability dye that allows cell fixation and permeabilization after cell surface staining and before intracellular staining and data acquisition on a flow cytometer. Moreover, we provide a panel of fluorochrome-labeled antibodies designed for the characterization of lymphocytic subsets that can be adapted to distinct experimental settings. Finally, we present an overview of the post-staining pipeline, including data acquisition on a flow cytometer and tools for post-acquisition analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Pérez-Lanzón
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
| | - Céleste Plantureux
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Saclay, Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Juliette Paillet
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Laboratory of Human Lymphohematopoieisis, Imagine Institute, INSERM UMR 1163, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Smart Immune, Paris, France
| | - Jules Sotty
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Centre de Recherche de Saint Antoine (CRSA), Paris, France
| | - Patrick Soussan
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Centre de Recherche de Saint Antoine (CRSA), Paris, France
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP). Sorbonne Université, Département de Virologie, GHU Paris-Est, Paris, France
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Institut du Cancer Paris CARPEM, Department of Biology, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Maria Chiara Maiuri
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Jonathan Pol
- Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Inserm U1138, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne Université, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
- Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, UMS AMMICa, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France
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11
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Cuesta ÁM, Palao N, Bragado P, Gutierrez-Uzquiza A, Herrera B, Sánchez A, Porras A. New and Old Key Players in Liver Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17152. [PMID: 38138981 PMCID: PMC10742790 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver cancer represents a major health problem worldwide with growing incidence and high mortality, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) being the most frequent. Hepatocytes are likely the cellular origin of most HCCs through the accumulation of genetic alterations, although hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs) might also be candidates in specific cases, as discussed here. HCC usually develops in a context of chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis, although the role of fibrosis is controversial. The interplay between hepatocytes, immune cells and hepatic stellate cells is a key issue. This review summarizes critical aspects of the liver tumor microenvironment paying special attention to platelets as new key players, which exert both pro- and anti-tumor effects, determined by specific contexts and a tight regulation of platelet signaling. Additionally, the relevance of specific signaling pathways, mainly HGF/MET, EGFR and TGF-β is discussed. HGF and TGF-β are produced by different liver cells and platelets and regulate not only tumor cell fate but also HPCs, inflammation and fibrosis, these being key players in these processes. The role of C3G/RAPGEF1, required for the proper function of HGF/MET signaling in HCC and HPCs, is highlighted, due to its ability to promote HCC growth and, regulate HPC fate and platelet-mediated actions on liver cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ángel M. Cuesta
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (Á.M.C.); (N.P.); (P.B.); (A.G.-U.); (B.H.); (A.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerea Palao
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (Á.M.C.); (N.P.); (P.B.); (A.G.-U.); (B.H.); (A.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Paloma Bragado
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (Á.M.C.); (N.P.); (P.B.); (A.G.-U.); (B.H.); (A.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Alvaro Gutierrez-Uzquiza
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (Á.M.C.); (N.P.); (P.B.); (A.G.-U.); (B.H.); (A.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Blanca Herrera
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (Á.M.C.); (N.P.); (P.B.); (A.G.-U.); (B.H.); (A.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD-ISCIII), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Aránzazu Sánchez
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (Á.M.C.); (N.P.); (P.B.); (A.G.-U.); (B.H.); (A.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBEREHD-ISCIII), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Porras
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), 28040 Madrid, Spain; (Á.M.C.); (N.P.); (P.B.); (A.G.-U.); (B.H.); (A.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
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12
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Wu Y, Song L, Kong J, Wen Q, Jiao J, Wang X, Li G, Xu X, Zhan L. Scribble promotes fibrosis-dependent mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis by p53/PUMA-mediated glycolysis. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2023; 1869:166823. [PMID: 37632981 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2023.166823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUNDS AND AIMS Liver cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Scribble has been shown to function as a neoplastic tumor suppressor gene in most tumors. Our previous studies reported that down-regulation or mislocalization of Scribble was sufficient to initiate mammary tumorigenesis and NSCLC. Recently, it was reported that Scribble was highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We aim to study how it was up-regulated and the contradictory role of Scribble in HCC. METHODS AND RESULTS Using a mouse model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis system, we showed that Scribble was over-expressed and which may protect the mice against hepatic fibrosis. Unexpectedly, we found out the potential for Scribble to act as a tumor driver at the advanced stage of N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) plus CCl4 induced HCC mice model in vivo. In addition, we observed even higher expression of Scribble in HCC tumors harboring elevated levels of wild-type p53. Most importantly, nuclear translocated Scribble could interact with p53, which lead to enhanced stability and transcriptional activity of p53. Mechanistically, our data suggested that Scribble might drive HCC progression by promoting metabolic regulation of p53 through p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA)-mediated Warburg effect. CONCLUSIONS Our data identified the molecular basis of hepatic fibrosis-specific gene expression of polarity gene, such as Scribble. Interestingly, with the progression from fibrosis to cirrhosis to HCC, its nuclear translocation promoted a wild-type p53-mediated cancer metabolic switch and tumor progression in HCC. Taken together, we demonstrated that Scribble was up-regulated and served a protective role in liver fibrosis, while also apparently acting as a tumor driver in fibrosis-dependent hepatocarcinogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjun Wu
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Rd., Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Lele Song
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Rd., Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jingwen Kong
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Rd., Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Qian Wen
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Rd., Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jiazheng Jiao
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Rd., Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xinyu Wang
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Rd., Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Gang Li
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiao Xu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China.
| | - Lixing Zhan
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Rd., Shanghai 200031, China; Key Laboratory of Integrated Oncology and Intelligent Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, China.
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13
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Ramadan WS, Alkarim S, Moulay M, Alrefeai G, Alkudsy F, Hakeem KR, Iskander A. Modulation of the Tumor Microenvironment by Ellagic Acid in Rat Model for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Potential Target against Hepatic Cancer Stem Cells. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4891. [PMID: 37835585 PMCID: PMC10571579 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15194891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The resistance to therapy and relapse in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly attributed to hepatic cancer stem cells (HCSCs). HCSCs are under microenvironment control. This work aimed to assess the systemic effect of ellagic acid (EA) on the HCC microenvironment to decline HCSCs. Fifty Wistar rats were divided into six groups: negative control (CON), groups 2 and 3 for solvents (DMSO), and (OVO). Group 4 was administered EA only. The (HCC-M) group, utilized as an HCC model, administered CCL4 (0.5 mL/kg in OVO) 1:1 v/v, i.p) for 16 weeks. HCC-M rats were treated orally with EA (EA + HCC) 50 mg/kg bw for five weeks. Biochemical, morphological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical studies, and gene analysis using qRT-PCR were applied. Results revealed elevated liver injury biomarkers ALT, AST, ALP, and tumor biomarkers AFP and GGT, and marked nodularity of livers of HCC-M. EA effectively reduced the biomarkers and restored the altered structure of the livers. At the mRNA level, EA downregulated the expression of TGF-α, TGF-β, and VEGF, and restored p53 expression. This induced an increase in apoptotic cells immunostained with caspase3 and decreased the CD44 immunostained HCSCs. EA could modulate the tumor microenvironment in the HCC rat model and ultimately target the HCSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wafaa S. Ramadan
- Department of Clinical Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 22384, Saudi Arabia;
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saleh Alkarim
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Moulay
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, Abdelhamid ibn Badis University, Mostaganem 27000, Algeria
| | - Ghadeer Alrefeai
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 23218, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fatma Alkudsy
- Embryonic Stem Cell Research Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic and Cancer Stem Cell Research Group, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalid Rehman Hakeem
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Princess Dr. Najla Bint Saud Al-Saud Center for Excellence Research in Biotechnology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Public Health, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1341, Bangladesh
| | - Ashwaq Iskander
- Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
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14
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Kandhi R, Yeganeh M, Yoshimura A, Menendez A, Ramanathan S, Ilangumaran S. Hepatic stellate cell-intrinsic role of SOCS1 in controlling hepatic fibrogenic response and the pro-inflammatory macrophage compartment during liver fibrosis. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1259246. [PMID: 37860002 PMCID: PMC10582746 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1259246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) become activated, differentiate to myofibroblasts and produce extracellular fibrillar matrix during liver fibrosis. The hepatic fibrogenic response is orchestrated by reciprocal interactions between HSCs and macrophages and their secreted products. SOCS1 can regulate several cytokines and growth factors implicated in liver fibrosis. Here we investigated the role of SOCS1 in regulating HSC activation. Methods Mice lacking SOCS1 in HSCs (Socs1ΔHSC) were generated by crossing Socs1fl/fl and LratCre mice. Liver fibrosis was induced by carbon tetrachloride and evaluated by Sirius red staining, hydroxyproline content and immunostaining of myofibroblasts. Gene expression of pro-fibrogenic factors, cytokines, growth factors and chemokines were quantified by RT-qPCR. The phenotype and the numbers of intrahepatic leukocyte subsets were studied by flow cytometry. The impact of fibrosis on the development of diethyl nitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma was evaluated. Results Socs1ΔHSC mice developed more severe liver fibrosis than control Socs1fl/fl mice that was characterized by increased collagen deposition and myofibroblast differentiation. Socs1ΔHSC mice showed a significant increase in the expression of smooth muscle actin, collagens, matrix metalloproteases, cytokines, growth factors and chemokines in the liver following fibrosis induction. The fibrotic livers of Socs1ΔHSC mice displayed heightened inflammatory cell infiltration with increased proportion and numbers of Ly6ChiCCR2+ pro-inflammatory macrophages. This macrophage population contained elevated numbers of CCR2+CX3CR1+ cells, suggesting impaired transition towards restorative macrophages. Fibrosis induction following exposure to diethyl nitrosamine resulted in more numerous and larger liver tumor nodules in Socs1ΔHSC mice than in Socs1fl/fl mice. Discussion Our findings indicate that (i) SOCS1 expression in HSCs is a critical to control liver fibrosis and development of hepatocaellular carcinoma, and (ii) attenuation of HSC activation by SOCS1 regulates pro-inflammatory macrophage recruitment and differentiation during liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajani Kandhi
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Mehdi Yeganeh
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Akihiko Yoshimura
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Alfredo Menendez
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Sheela Ramanathan
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Subburaj Ilangumaran
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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15
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Zhang L, Zhang Q, Teng D, Guo M, Tang K, Wang Z, Wei X, Lin L, Zhang X, Wang X, Huang D, Ren C, Yang Q, Zhang W, Gao Y, Chen W, Chang Y, Zhang H. FGF9 Recruits β-Catenin to Increase Hepatic ECM Synthesis and Promote NASH-Driven HCC. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2301166. [PMID: 37566761 PMCID: PMC10558677 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202301166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Most nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients develop severe fibrosis through extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation, which can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9) is involved in serial types of cancer; however, the specific role of FGF9 in NASH-driven HCC is not fully understood. This study finds that FGF9 is increased in patients with NASH-associated HCC. Furthermore, NASH-driven HCC mice models by feeding wildtype mice with high-fat/high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet and low dose carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ) treatment is established; and identified that hepatic FGF9 is increased; with severe fibrosis. Additionally, AAV-mediated knockdown of FGF9 reduced the hepatic tumor burden of NASH-driven HCC mice models. Hepatocyte-specific FGF9 transgenic mice (FGF9Alb ) fed with a HFHC diet without CCl4 treatment exhibited an increased hepatic ECM and tumor burden. However, XAV-939 treatment blocked ECM accumulation and NASH-driven HCC in FGF9Alb mice fed with HFHC diet. Molecular mechanism studies show that FGF9 stimulated the expression of ECM related genes in a β-catenin dependent manner; and FGF9 exerts its effect on β-catenin stability via the ERK1/2-GSK-3β signaling pathway. In summary, the data provides evidence for the critical role of FGF9 in NASH-driven HCC pathogenesis; wherein it promotes the tumors formation through the ECM pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education)Tianjin Key of Cellular Homeostasis and DiseaseDepartment of Physiology and PathophysiologyTianjin Medical University300070TianjinChina
| | - Qing Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Da Teng
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary SurgeryAffifiliated Chuzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Chuzhou)Chuzhou239001China
| | - Manyu Guo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Kechao Tang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Zhenglin Wang
- Department of General SurgeryThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University230022HefeiChina
| | - Xiang Wei
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Li Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Xiaomin Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Xiuyun Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Dake Huang
- Synthetic Laboratory of School of Basic Medicine SciencesAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Cuiping Ren
- Department of Microbiology and ParasitologySchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
| | - Qingsong Yang
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary SurgeryAffifiliated Chuzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Chuzhou)Chuzhou239001China
| | - Wenjun Zhang
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary SurgeryAffifiliated Chuzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Chuzhou)Chuzhou239001China
| | - Yong Gao
- Science and Technology Innovation CenterGuangzhou University of Chinese Medicine510006GuangzhouChina
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of General SurgeryThe First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University230022HefeiChina
| | - Yongsheng Chang
- Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease (Ministry of Education)Tianjin Key of Cellular Homeostasis and DiseaseDepartment of Physiology and PathophysiologyTianjin Medical University300070TianjinChina
| | - Huabing Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMetabolic Disease Research CenterSchool of Basic MedicineAnhui Medical University230032HefeiChina
- The Affiliated Chuzhou Hospital of Anhui Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Chuzhou)Chuzhou239001China
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Guo W, Li S, Qian Y, Li L, Wang F, Tong Y, Li Q, Zhu Z, Gao W, Liu Y. KDM6A promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression and dictates lenvatinib efficacy by upregulating FGFR4 expression. Clin Transl Med 2023; 13:e1452. [PMID: 37846441 PMCID: PMC10580016 DOI: 10.1002/ctm2.1452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major causes of death from cancer and has a very poor prognosis with few effective therapeutic options. Despite the approval of lenvatinib for the treatment of patients suffering from advanced HCC, only a small number of patients can benefit from this targeted therapy. METHODS Diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-CCL4 mouse liver tumour and the xenograft tumour models were used to evaluate the function of KDM6A in HCC progression. The xenograft tumour model and HCC cell lines were used to evaluate the role of KDM6A in HCC drug sensitivity to lenvatinib. RNA-seq and ChIP assays were conducted for mechanical investigation. RESULTS We revealed that KDM6A exhibited a significant upregulation in HCC tissues and was associated with an unfavourable prognosis. We further demonstrated that KDM6A knockdown remarkably suppressed HCC cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Moreover, hepatic Kdm6a loss also inhibited liver tumourigenesis in a mouse liver tumour model. Mechanistically, KDM6A loss downregulated the FGFR4 expression to suppress the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling pathway, leading to a glucose and lipid metabolism re-programming in HCC. KDM6A and FGFR4 levels were positively correlated in HCC specimens and mouse liver tumour tissues. Notably, KDM6A knockdown significantly inhibited the efficacy of lenvatinib therapy in HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Our findings revealed that KDM6A promoted HCC progression by activating FGFR4 expression and may be an essential molecule for influencing the efficacy of lenvatinib in HCC therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyun Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Songling Li
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Med‐X Research InstituteShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Yifei Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Linfeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Fan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Yu Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Qianyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Zijun Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Wei‐Qiang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
- School of Biomedical Engineering & Med‐X Research InstituteShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
| | - Yanfeng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Systems Medicine for CancerDepartment of Liver SurgeryRenji‐Med‐X Clinical Stem Cell Research Center, RenJi Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghaiP. R. China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Transplantation and ImmonologyShanghai Institute of TransplantationShanghaiP. R. China
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17
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Zheng HC, Xue H, Yun WJ. An overview of mouse models of hepatocellular carcinoma. Infect Agent Cancer 2023; 18:49. [PMID: 37670307 PMCID: PMC10481604 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-023-00524-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become a severe burden on global health due to its high morbidity and mortality rates. However, effective treatments for HCC are limited. The lack of suitable preclinical models may contribute to a major failure of drug development for HCC. Here, we overview several well-established mouse models of HCC, including genetically engineered mice, chemically-induced models, implantation models, and humanized mice. Immunotherapy studies of HCC have been a hot topic. Therefore, we will introduce the application of mouse models of HCC in immunotherapy. This is followed by a discussion of some other models of HCC-related liver diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), hepatitis B and C virus infection, and liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. Together these provide researchers with a current overview of the mouse models of HCC and assist in the application of appropriate models for their research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-Chuan Zheng
- Department of Oncology and Central Laboratory, The Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University, Chengde, 067000, China.
| | - Hang Xue
- Department of Oncology and Central Laboratory, The Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University, Chengde, 067000, China
| | - Wen-Jing Yun
- Department of Oncology and Central Laboratory, The Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical University, Chengde, 067000, China
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18
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Otto J, Verwaayen A, Penners C, Hundertmark J, Lin C, Kallen C, Paffen D, Otto T, Berger H, Tacke F, Weiskirchen R, Nevzorova YA, Bartneck M, Trautwein C, Sonntag R, Liedtke C. Expression of Cyclin E1 in hepatic stellate cells is critical for the induction and progression of liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in mice. Cell Death Dis 2023; 14:549. [PMID: 37620309 PMCID: PMC10449804 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06077-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most severe malignancies with increasing incidence and limited treatment options. Typically, HCC develops during a multistep process involving chronic liver inflammation and liver fibrosis. The latter is characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix produced by Hepatic Stellate Cells (HSCs). This process involves cell cycle re-entry and proliferation of normally quiescent HSCs in an ordered sequence that is highly regulated by cyclins and associated cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) such as the Cyclin E1 (CCNE1)/CDK2 kinase complex. In the present study, we examined the role of Cyclin E1 (Ccne1) and Cdk2 genes in HSCs for liver fibrogenesis and hepatocarcinogenesis. To this end, we generated conditional knockout mice lacking Ccne1 or Cdk2 specifically in HSCs (Ccne1∆HSC or Cdk2∆HSC). Ccne1∆HSC mice showed significantly reduced liver fibrosis formation and attenuated HSC activation in the carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) model. In a combined model of fibrosis-driven hepatocarcinogenesis, Ccne1∆HSC mice revealed decreased HSC activation even after long-term observation and substantially reduced tumor load in the liver when compared to wild-type controls. Importantly, the deletion of Cdk2 in HSCs also resulted in attenuated liver fibrosis after chronic CCl4 treatment. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that only a small fraction of HSCs expressed Ccne1/Cdk2 at a distinct time point after CCl4 treatment. In summary, we provide evidence that Ccne1 expression in a small population of HSCs is sufficient to trigger extensive liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis in a Cdk2-dependent manner. Thus, HSC-specific targeting of Ccne1 or Cdk2 in patients with liver fibrosis and high risk for HCC development could be therapeutically beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Otto
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Anna Verwaayen
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Penners
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Jana Hundertmark
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum and Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cheng Lin
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Carina Kallen
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Daniela Paffen
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Tobias Otto
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Hilmar Berger
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum and Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Tacke
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum and Campus Charité Mitte, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ralf Weiskirchen
- Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Yulia A Nevzorova
- Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology and ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, Madrid, Spain
| | - Matthias Bartneck
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Aachen, Germany
- Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Trautwein
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Roland Sonntag
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany
| | - Christian Liedtke
- Department of Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.
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19
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He H, Sugiyama A, Snyder NW, Teneche MG, Liu X, Maner-Smith KM, Goessling W, Hagen SJ, Ortlund EA, Najafi-Shoushtari SH, Acuña M, Cohen DE. Acyl-CoA thioesterase 12 suppresses YAP-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis by limiting glycerolipid biosynthesis. Cancer Lett 2023; 565:216210. [PMID: 37150501 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2023.216210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Cancer cells use acetate to support the higher demand for energy and lipid biosynthesis during uncontrolled cell proliferation, as well as for acetylation of regulatory proteins. Acyl-CoA thioesterase 12 (Acot12) is the enzyme that hydrolyzes acetyl-CoA to acetate in liver cytosol and is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A mechanistic role for Acot12 in hepatocarcinogenesis was assessed in mice in response to treatment with diethylnitrosamine(DEN)/carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administration or prolonged feeding of a diet that promotes non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Relative to controls, Acot12-/- mice exhibited accelerated liver tumor formation that was characterized by the hepatic accumulation of glycerolipids, including lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), and that was associated with reduced Hippo signaling and increased yes-associated protein (YAP)-mediated transcriptional activity. In Acot12-/- mice, restoration of hepatic Acot12 expression inhibited hepatocarcinogenesis and YAP activation, as did knockdown of hepatic YAP expression. Excess LPA produced due to deletion of Acot12 signaled through LPA receptors (LPARs) coupled to Gα12/13 subunits to suppress YAP phosphorylation, thereby promoting its nuclear localization and transcriptional activity. These findings identify a protective role for Acot12 in suppressing hepatocarcinogenesis by limiting biosynthesis of glycerolipids including LPA, which preserves Hippo signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyue He
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Joan & Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA; Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan, China
| | - Akiko Sugiyama
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Joan & Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Nathaniel W Snyder
- Center for Metabolic Disease Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Marcos G Teneche
- Center for Metabolic Disease Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Xiaowei Liu
- Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan, China
| | - Kristal M Maner-Smith
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Wolfram Goessling
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Susan J Hagen
- Division of Surgical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Eric A Ortlund
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - S Hani Najafi-Shoushtari
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA; Research Department, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education City, Doha, Qatar
| | - Mariana Acuña
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Joan & Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - David E Cohen
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Joan & Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10021, USA; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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20
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Mansouri RA, Ahmed AM, Alshaibi HF, Al-Bazi MM, Banjabi AA, Alsufiani HM, Aloqbi AA, Aboubakr EM. A new cirrhotic animal protocol combining carbon tetrachloride with methotrexate to address limitations of the currently used chemical-induced models. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1201583. [PMID: 37397479 PMCID: PMC10308223 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1201583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Chemically induced cirrhotic animal models are commonly used. However, they have limitations such as high mortalities and low yield of cirrhotic animals that limit their uses. Aims: To overcome limitations of the chemically induced cirrhotic animal model via combined administration of methotrexate (MTX) with CCl4 and decrease their commonly used doses depending on the proposed synergetic cirrhotic effect. Methods: Rats were divided into six groups: normal (4 weeks), normal (8 weeks), MTX, CCl4 (4 weeks), CCl4 (8 weeks), and MTX + CCl4 (4 weeks) groups. Animals' hepatic morphology and histopathological characterization were explored. Hepatic Bcl2 and NF-κB-p65 tissue contents were determined using the immunostaining technique, and hepatic tissue damage, oxidative status, and inflammatory status biochemical parameters were determined. Results: CCl4 + MTX combined administration produced prominent cirrhotic liver changes, further confirmed by a substantial increase in oxidative stress and inflammatory parameters, whereas mortalities were significantly lower than in other treated groups. Conclusion: The present study introduced a new model that can significantly improve the major limitations of chemically induced cirrhotic animal models with new pathological features that mimic human cirrhosis. Compared to other chemically induced methods, the present model can save time, cost, and animal suffering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasha A. Mansouri
- Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Adel M. Ahmed
- Department of Pharmaceutical Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
| | - Huda F. Alshaibi
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Embryonic Stem Cell Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maha M. Al-Bazi
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Experimental Biochemistry Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abeer A. Banjabi
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hadeil Muhanna Alsufiani
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Experimental Biochemistry Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Akram Ahmed Aloqbi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Esam M. Aboubakr
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt
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Fang Gong Y, Hou S, Xu JC, Chen Y, Zhu LL, Xu YY, Chen YQ, Li MM, Li LL, Yang JJ, Yang Y. Amelioratory effects of astragaloside IV on hepatocarcinogenesis via Nrf2-mediated pSmad3C/3L transformation. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2023; 117:154903. [PMID: 37301185 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2023.154903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Phosphorylated Smad3 isoforms are reversible and antagonistic, and the tumour-suppressive pSmad3C can shift to an oncogenic pSmad3L signal. In addition, Nrf2 has a two-way regulatory effect on tumours, protecting normal cells from carcinogens and promoting tumour cell survival in chemotherapeutics. Accordingly, we hypothesised that the transformation of pSmad3C/3L is the basis for Nrf2 to produce both pro- and/or anti-tumourigenic effects in hepatocarcinogenesis. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), the major component of Astragalus membranaceus, exerts anti-fibrogenic and carcinogenic actions. Lately, AS-IV administration could delay the occurrence of primary liver cancer by persistently inhibiting the fibrogenesis and regulating pSmad3C/3 L and Nrf2/HO-1 pathways synchronously. However, effect of AS-IV on hepatocarcinogenesis implicated in the bidirectional cross-talking of pSmad3C/3 L and Nrf2/HO-1 signalling, especially which one contributes palpably than the other still remains unclear. PURPOSE This study aims to settle the above questions by using in vivo (pSmad3C+/- and Nrf2-/- mice) and in vitro (plasmid- or lentivirus- transfected HepG2 cells) models of HCC. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The correlation of Nrf2 to pSmad3C/pSmad3L in HepG2 cells was analysed by Co-immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assay. Pathological changes of Nrf2, pSmad3C, and pSmad3L in human HCC patients, pSmad3C+/- mice, and Nrf2-/- mice were gauged by immunohistochemical, haematoxylin and eosin staining, Masson, and immunofluorescence assays. Finally, western blot and qPCR were used to verify the bidirectional cross-talking of pSmad3C/3L and Nrf2/HO-1 signalling protein and mRNA in vivo and in vitro models of HCC. RESULTS Histopathological manifestations and biochemical indicators revealed that pSmad3C+/- could abate the ameliorative effects of AS-IV on fibrogenic/carcinogenic mice with Nrf2/HO-1 deactivation and pSmad3C/p21 transform to pSmad3L/PAI-1//c-Myc. As expected, cell experiments confirmed that upregulating pSmad3C boosts the inhibitory activity of AS-IV on phenotypes (cell proliferation, migration and invasion), followed by a shift of pSmad3L to pSmad3C and activation of Nrf2/HO-1. Synchronously, experiments in Nrf2-/- mice and lentivirus-carried Nrf2shRNA cell echoed the results of pSmad3C knockdown. Complementarily, Nrf2 overexpression resulted in the opposite result. Furthermore, Nrf2/HO-1 contributes to AS-IV's anti-HCC effect palpably compared with pSmad3C/3L. CONCLUSION These studies highlight that harnessing the bidirectional crosstalk pSmad3C/3 L and Nrf2/HO-1, especially Nrf2/HO-1 signalling, acts more effectively in AS-IV's anti-hepatocarcinogenesis, which may provide an important theoretical foundation for the use of AS-IV against HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Fang Gong
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China; School of Nursing, Anhui Medical University, No.15, feicui Road, Economic and Technological Development Zone, Hefei, China
| | - Shu Hou
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China
| | - Jia-Cheng Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China
| | - Le-Le Zhu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China
| | - Ying-Ying Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China
| | - Yu-Qing Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China
| | - Miao-Miao Li
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China
| | - Li-Li Li
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China
| | - Jing-Jing Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China; Department of Pharmacology, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yan Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medicine, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immunopharmacology, Ministry of Education, 230032, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, China.
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Zhang J, Lin XT, Fang L, Xie CM. In vivo analysis of FBXO45-mediated fibrosis and liver tumorigenesis in a chemically induced mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102124. [PMID: 36853700 PMCID: PMC9958395 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
FBXO45, an E3 ubiquitin ligase highly expressed in liver tumors, is positively correlated with poor survival of hepatocellular carcinogenesis (HCC) patients, but whether FBXO45 drives HCC tumorigenesis remains largely unclear. Here, we describe a protocol that shortens the observation period for HCC tumorigenesis to assess the effects of FBXO45 in a DEN/CCl4-induced HCC mouse model. We describe steps for chemical induction of HCC in FBXO45-overexpressing mice, followed by tissue collection and pathology assessment via quantitative real-time PCR, histology, and immunohistochemistry. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lin et al. (2021).1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Xiao-Tong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Lei Fang
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China
| | - Chuan-Ming Xie
- Key Laboratory of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Institute of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing 400038, China.
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Mohamed EE, Ahmed OM, Abdel-Moneim A, Zoheir KMA, Elesawy BH, Al Askary A, Hassaballa A, El-Shahawy AAG. Protective Effects of Naringin-Dextrin Nanoformula against Chemically Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Wistar Rats: Roles of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, Cell Apoptosis, and Proliferation. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15121558. [PMID: 36559011 PMCID: PMC9786090 DOI: 10.3390/ph15121558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Nanotechnology holds great promise for the development of treatments for deadly human diseases, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the current study, we compared the hepatoprotective effects of naringin-dextrin nanoparticles (NDNPs) against HCC in male Wistar rats with those of pure naringin and investigated the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. HCC was induced by intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 150 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) per week) for two weeks, followed by oral administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene (2AAF, 20 mg/kg b.w.) four times per week for three weeks. DEN/2AAF-administered rats were divided into three groups that respectively received 1% carboxymethyl cellulose (as vehicle), 10 mg/kg b.w. naringin, or 10 mg/kg b.w. NDNP every other day by oral gavage for 24 weeks. Both naringin and NDNP significantly attenuated the harmful effects of DEN on liver function. Both compounds also suppressed tumorigenesis as indicated by the reduced serum concentrations of liver tumor markers, and this antitumor effect was confirmed by histopathological evaluation. Additionally, naringin and NDNP prevented DEN-induced changes in hepatic oxidative stress and antioxidant activities. In addition, naringin and NDNP suppressed inflammation induced by DEN. Moreover, naringin and NDNP significantly reduced the hepatic expression of Bcl-2 and increased Bax, p53, and PDCD5 expressions. Naringin and NDNP also reduced expression of IQGAP1, IQGAP3, Ras signaling, and Ki-67 while increasing expression of IQGAP2. Notably, NDNP more effectively mitigated oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling than free naringin and demonstrated improved antitumor efficacy, suggesting that this nanoformulation improves bioavailability within nascent tumor sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eman E. Mohamed
- Physiology Division, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, P.O. Box 62521, Beni-Suef 2722165, Egypt
| | - Osama M. Ahmed
- Physiology Division, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, P.O. Box 62521, Beni-Suef 2722165, Egypt
- Correspondence: or
| | - Adel Abdel-Moneim
- Physiology Division, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, P.O. Box 62521, Beni-Suef 2722165, Egypt
| | - Khairy M. A. Zoheir
- Cell Biology Department, Biotechnology Research Institute, National Research Centre, Cairo 12622, Egypt
| | - Basem H. Elesawy
- Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmad Al Askary
- Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ahmed Hassaballa
- Nutrition and Food Science, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
- ZeroHarm L.C., Farmington Hills, Farmington, MI 48333, USA
| | - Ahmed A. G. El-Shahawy
- Materials Science and Nanotechnology Department, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies for Advanced Sciences (PSAS), Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 2722165, Egypt
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In Silico and In Vivo Evaluation of microRNA-181c-5p's Role in Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13122343. [PMID: 36553610 PMCID: PMC9777864 DOI: 10.3390/genes13122343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a fatal disease, accounting for 75-85% of primary liver cancers. The conclusive research on miR-181c-5p's role in hepatocarcinogenesis, whether it has oncogenic effects or acts as a tumor repressor, is limited and fluctuating. Therefore, the current study aimed to elucidate the role of miR-181c-5p in HCC in silico and in vivo. The bioinformatics analysis of miR-181c-5p expression data in HCC using several databases strongly shed light on its involvement in HCC development, but also confirmed the fluctuating data around its role. miR-181c-5p was proven here to have an oncogenic role by increasing HepG2 cells' viability as confirmed by MTT analysis. In addition, miR-181c-5p was upregulated in the HCC positive control group and progressed the HCC development and malignant features by its forced expression in an HCC mouse model by targeted delivery using a LA-PAMAM polyplex. This is indicated by the cancerous gross and histological features, and the significant increase in liver function biomarkers. The functional enrichment bioinformatics analyses of miR-181c-5p-downregulated targets in HCC indicated that miR-181c-5p targets were significantly enriched in multiple pathways and biological processes involved in HCC development. Fbxl3, an example for miR-181c-5p potential targets, downregulation and its correlation with miR-181c-5p were validated by qPCR. In conclusion, miR-181c-5p is upregulated in HCC and has an oncogenic role enhancing HCC progression.
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Yang JE, Zhong WJ, Li JF, Lin YY, Liu FT, Tian H, Chen YJ, Luo XY, Zhuang SM. LINC00998-encoded micropeptide SMIM30 promotes the G1/S transition of cell cycle by regulating cytosolic calcium level. Mol Oncol 2022; 17:901-916. [PMID: 36495128 PMCID: PMC10158777 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The biological functions of short open reading frame (sORF)-encoded micropeptides remain largely unknown. Here, we report that LINC00998, a previously annotated lncRNA, was upregulated in multiple cancer types and the sORF on LINC00998 encoded a micropeptide named SMIM30. SMIM30 was localized in the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria. Silencing SMIM30 inhibited the proliferation of hepatoma cells in vitro and suppressed the growth of tumor xenografts and N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced hepatoma. Overexpression of the 5'UTR-sORF sequence of LINC00998, encoding wild-type SMIM30, enhanced tumor cell growth, but this was abolished when a premature stop codon was introduced into the sORF via single-base deletion. Gain- and loss-of-function studies revealed that SMIM30 peptide but not LINC00998 reduced cytosolic calcium level, increased CDK4, cyclin E2, phosphorylated-Rb and E2F1, and promoted the G1/S phase transition and cell proliferation. The effect of SMIM30 silencing was attenuated by a calcium chelator or the agonist of sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (SERCA) pump. These findings suggest a novel function of micropeptide SMIM30 in promoting G1/S transition and cell proliferation by enhancing SERCA activity and reducing cytosolic calcium level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-E Yang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wang-Jing Zhong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jin-Feng Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying-Ying Lin
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feng-Ting Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hao Tian
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ya-Jing Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Luo
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shi-Mei Zhuang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Zhang M, Liu T, Du Z, Li H, Qin W. A new integrated method for tissue extracellular vesicle enrichment and proteome profiling. RSC Adv 2022; 12:33409-33418. [PMID: 36425162 PMCID: PMC9679920 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra06185f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous vesicles released by cells that carry a number of biologically important components such as lipids, proteins, and mRNAs. EVs can mediate cancer cell migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and cell survival, greatly contributing to cell-to-cell communication in the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, EVs have been found to have diagnostic and prognostic significance in various cancers. However, the direct isolation of pure EVs remains challenging, especially from tissue samples. Currently available EV isolation approaches, e.g., ultracentrifugation, are time-consuming, instrumental dependent, and have a low recovery rate with limited purity. It is urgent to develop rapid and efficient methods for enriching tissue EVs for biological and clinical studies. Here, we developed a novel isolation approach for tissue EVs using an extraction kit combined with TiO2 microspheres (kit-TiO2). The EVs were first precipitated from the tissue fluid using a precipitation agent and then further enriched using microspheres based on the specific interaction between TiO2 and the phosphate groups on the lipid bilayer of the EVs. Kit-TiO2 approach led to improved purity and enrichment efficiency of the isolated EVs, as demonstrated by western blot and proteomic analysis, compared with previously reported methods. A total of 1966 protein groups were identified from the tissue EVs. We compared the proteomic profiles of the liver tissue EVs from healthy and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) bearing-mice. Twenty-five significantly upregulated and 75 downregulated protein groups were found in the HCC EVs. Among the differentially expressed proteins, Atic, Copa, Cont3, Me1, Anxa3, Fth1, Anxa5, Phb1, Acaa2, ATPD, and Glud1 were reported to be highly relevant to HCC. This novel isolation strategy has provided a powerful tool for enriching EVs directly from tissues, and may be applied in biomarker discovery and drug screening of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaomiao Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Medical College of Qingdao University Qingdao Shandong 266071 PR China
- National Center for Protein Sciences Beijing, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics Beijing 102206 PR China
| | - Tong Liu
- National Center for Protein Sciences Beijing, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics Beijing 102206 PR China
| | - Zhuokun Du
- National Center for Protein Sciences Beijing, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics Beijing 102206 PR China
| | - Hang Li
- National Center for Protein Sciences Beijing, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics Beijing 102206 PR China
| | - Weijie Qin
- Department of Immunology, Medical College of Qingdao University Qingdao Shandong 266071 PR China
- National Center for Protein Sciences Beijing, State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, Beijing Institute of Lifeomics Beijing 102206 PR China
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Hussein J, El-Bana MA, El-kHayat Z, El-Naggar ME, Farrag AR, Medhat D. Eicosapentaenoic acid loaded silica nanoemulsion attenuates hepatic inflammation through the enhancement of cell membrane components. Biol Proced Online 2022; 24:11. [PMID: 36071378 PMCID: PMC9454130 DOI: 10.1186/s12575-022-00173-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Liver inflammation is a multistep process that is linked with cell membrane fatty acids composition. The effectiveness of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) undergoes an irreversible change during processing due to their unsaturated nature; so the formation of nanocarrier for EPA is crucial for improving EPA’s bioavailability and pharmacological properties. Objective In this study we aimed to evaluate the efficiency of EPA alone or loaded silica nanoemulsion on the management of hepatic inflammation induced by diethyl nitrosamine (DEN) through the enhancement of the cell membrane structure and functions. Methods The new formula of EPA was prepared to modify the properties of EPA. Forty-eight male Wistar albino rats were classified into: control, EPA, EPA loaded silica nanoemulsion (EPA–NE), DEN induced hepatic inflammation; DEN induced hepatic inflammation treated with EPA or EPA –NE groups. Plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), liver hydroxyproline (Hyp) content, and liver oxidant and anti-oxidants were estimated. Urinary 8- hydroxyguanozine (8- OHdG) and erythrocyte membrane fatty acids fractions were estimated by High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Also, histopathology studies were done to verify our hypothesis. Results It was appeared that administration of EPA, in particular EPA loaded silica nanoemulsion, ameliorated the inflammatory response, increased the activity of the anti-oxidants, reduced levels of oxidants, and improved cell membrane structure compared to hepatic inflammation induced by DEN group. Histopathological examination confirmed these results. Conclusion EPA and notably EPA loaded silica nanoemulsion strongly recommended as a promising supplement in the management of hepatic inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihan Hussein
- Medical Biochemistry Department, National Research Center, 33 El Behouth St.Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt.
| | - Mona A El-Bana
- Medical Biochemistry Department, National Research Center, 33 El Behouth St.Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt
| | - Zakaria El-kHayat
- Medical Biochemistry Department, National Research Center, 33 El Behouth St.Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt
| | - Mehrez E El-Naggar
- Pre-Treatment and Finishing of Cellulosic Fabric Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | | | - Dalia Medhat
- Medical Biochemistry Department, National Research Center, 33 El Behouth St.Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt
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Anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of Vit-A/C@SeNPs in mutual diethylnitrosamine and carbon tetrachloride induced hepatocellular damage in albino rats. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jddst.2022.103723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Wang T, Zhu J, Gao L, Wei M, Zhang D, Chen L, Wu H, Ma J, Li L, Zhang N, Wang Y, Xing Q, He L, Hong F, Qin S. Identification of circular RNA biomarkers for Pien Tze Huang treatment of CCl4‑induced liver fibrosis using RNA‑sequencing. Mol Med Rep 2022; 26:309. [PMID: 36004475 PMCID: PMC9437966 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2022.12825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Pien Tze Huang (PZH), a common hepatoprotective Traditional Chinese Medicine that has been found to be an effective treatment for carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic damage, including liver fibrosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) serve a crucial role in regulating gene expression levels via circRNA/micro (mi)RNA/mRNA networks in several human diseases and biological processes. However, whether circRNAs are involved in the underlying mechanism of the therapeutic effects of PZH on liver fibrosis remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate these effects using circRNA expression profiles from PZH-treated fibrotic livers in model mice. A case-control study on >59,476 circRNAs from CCl4-induced (control group, n=6) and PZH-treated (case group, n=6) mice was performed using circRNA sequencing in liver tissues. PZH treatment resulted in the differential expression of 91 circRNAs, including 58 upregulated and 33 downregulated circRNAs. Furthermore, the construction of competing endogenous networks also indicated that differentially expressed circRNAs acted as miRNA sponges. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis of miRNA targets demonstrated that PZH-affected circRNAs were mainly involved in biological processes such as ‘positive regulation of fibroblast proliferation’, ‘cellular response to interleukin-1’ and ‘regulation of DNA-templated transcription in response to stress’ and in a number of important pathways, such as ‘TNF signaling pathway’, ‘PI3K-Akt signaling pathway’, ‘IL-17 signaling pathway’ and ‘MAPK signaling pathway’. To further validate the bioinformatics data, reverse transcription–quantitative PCR was performed on seven miRNA targets in a human hepatic stellate LX-2 cell model. The results suggested that seven of the miRNAs exhibited regulatory patterns that were consistent with those of the transcriptome sequencing results. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated that the expression levels of dihydrodiol dehydrogenase and solute carrier family 7, member 11 gene were significantly associated with patient survival, 269 patients with liver hepatocellular carcinoma from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. To the best of our knowledge, this was the first study to provide evidence that PZH affects circRNA expression levels, which may serve important roles in PZH-treated fibrotic liver through the regulation of functional gene expression. In conclusion, the present study provided new insights into the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis and identified potential novel, efficient, therapeutic targets against liver injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Wang
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Jinhang Zhu
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Longhui Gao
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Muyun Wei
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Di Zhang
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Luan Chen
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Hao Wu
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Jingsong Ma
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Lixing Li
- Department of General Surgery, Shanghai General Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Na Zhang
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Yanjing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism, Joint Laboratory of International Cooperation in Metabolic and Developmental Sciences, School of Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China
| | - Qinghe Xing
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences and Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, P.R. China
| | - Lin He
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
| | - Fei Hong
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Pien Tze Huang Natural Medicine Research and Development, Zhangzhou Pien Tze Huang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Zhangzhou, Fujian 363000, P.R. China
| | - Shengying Qin
- Bio‑X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China
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Li J, Xian L, Zheng R, Wang Y, Wan X, Liu Y. Canthaxanthin shows anti-liver aging and anti-liver fibrosis effects by down-regulating inflammation and oxidative stress in vivo and in vitro. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 110:108942. [PMID: 35810489 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.108942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The elderly population is growing rapidly all over the world. The aging population has brought great medical pressure to the society. It is found that aging is one of the pathogenic factors of liver fibrosis and liver cancer. Therefore, it is very important to explore functional foods with anti-aging, anti-fibrosis and anti-liver cancer effect. Therefore, in this work, we studied the potential effects of Canthaxanthin on liver aging, liver fibrosis and liver cancer. Firstly, we established the aging modelof liver cells by using H2O2. On this basis, the anti-aging effect of Canthaxanthin was analyzed, and the results showed that Canthaxanthin could significantly alleviate the aging of liver cells through Sa-β-Gal staining and analysis of the expression of aging related markers. In vivo, aged mice wereused as the animal model for studying the effect of anti-aging of Canthaxanthin. The results showed that Canthaxanthin could significantly alleviate the aging of liver in vivo. Further study show that Canthaxanthin may alleviatethe aging of liver cells by regulating SIRT6; Secondly, we evaluated the effect of Canthaxanthin on liver fibrosis. A model of liver fibrosis was established by CCl4. Masson and Sirius red staining showed that Canthaxanthin could significantly reduce the fibrosis area. Additionally, the level of liver inflammation was also reduced; Thirdly, the effect of Canthaxanthin on hepatoma cells has also been investigated. The resultsshowed that Canthaxanthin could promote the apoptosis of hepatoma cells in vivo and in vitro. To sum up, these results show that canthaxanthin can significantly alleviate liver aging and fibrosis, and Canthaxanthin can also promote the apoptosis of liver cancer cells, indicating that Canthaxanthin can be used as a potential drug or health food for the treatment of liveraging related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiarui Li
- Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130000, China
| | - Lei Xian
- Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130000, China
| | - Ruipeng Zheng
- Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130000, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130000, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Wan
- Department of Interventional Therapy, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130000, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Clinical Laboratory, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, China.
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Thamm M, Rosenhain S, Leonardic K, Höfter A, Kiessling F, Osl F, Pöschinger T, Gremse F. Intrinsic Respiratory Gating for Simultaneous Multi-Mouse μCT Imaging to Assess Liver Tumors. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:878966. [PMID: 35872758 PMCID: PMC9299429 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.878966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Small animal micro computed tomography (μCT) is an important tool in cancer research and is used to quantify liver and lung tumors. A type of cancer that is intensively investigated with μCT is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). μCT scans acquire projections from different angles of the gantry which rotates X-ray source and detector around the animal. Motion of the animal causes inconsistencies between the projections which lead to artifacts in the resulting image. This is problematic in HCC research, where respiratory motion affects the image quality by causing hypodense intensity at the liver edge and smearing out small structures such as tumors. Dealing with respiratory motion is particularly difficult in a high throughput setting when multiple mice are scanned together and projection removal by retrospective respiratory gating may compromise image quality and dose efficiency. In mice, inhalation anesthesia leads to a regular respiration with short gasps and long phases of negligible motion. Using this effect and an iterative reconstruction which can cope with missing angles, we discard the relatively few projections in which the gasping motion occurs. Moreover, since gated acquisition, i.e., acquiring multiple projections from a single gantry angle is not a requirement, this method can be applied to existing scans. We applied our method in a high throughput setting in which four mice with HCC tumors were scanned simultaneously in a multi-mouse bed. To establish a ground truth, we manually selected projections with visible respiratory motion. Our automated intrinsic breathing projection selection achieved an accordance of 97% with manual selection. We reconstructed volumetric images and demonstrated that our intrinsic gating method significantly reduces the hypodense depiction at the cranial liver edge and improves the detectability of small tumors. Furthermore, we show that projection removal in a four mice scan discards only 7.5% more projections than in a single-mouse setting, i.e., four mouse scanning does not substantially compromise dose efficiency or image quality. To the best of our knowledge, no comparable method that combines multi-mouse scans for high throughput, intrinsic respiratory gating, and an available iterative reconstruction has been described for liver tumor imaging before.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Thamm
- Experimental Molecular Imaging, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Gremse-IT GmbH, Aachen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Fabian Kiessling
- Experimental Molecular Imaging, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, Bremen, Germany
| | - Franz Osl
- Discovery Pharmacology, Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Pöschinger
- Discovery Pharmacology, Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED), Roche Innovation Center Munich, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Felix Gremse
- Experimental Molecular Imaging, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- Gremse-IT GmbH, Aachen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Felix Gremse
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Liu S, Huang F, Ru G, Wang Y, Zhang B, Chen X, Chu L. Mouse Models of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Classification, Advancement, and Application. Front Oncol 2022; 12:902820. [PMID: 35847898 PMCID: PMC9279915 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.902820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the subtype of liver cancer with the highest incidence, which is a heterogeneous malignancy with increasing incidence rate and high mortality. For ethical reasons, it is essential to validate medical clinical trials for HCC in animal models before further consideration on humans. Therefore, appropriate models for the study of the pathogenesis of the disease and related treatment methods are necessary. For tumor research, mouse models are the most commonly used and effective in vivo model, which is closer to the real-life environment, and the repeated experiments performed on it are closer to the real situation. Several mouse models of HCC have been developed with different mouse strains, cell lines, tumor sites, and tumor formation methods. In this review, we mainly introduce some mouse HCC models, including induced model, gene-edited model, HCC transplantation model, and other mouse HCC models, and discuss how to choose the appropriate model according to the purpose of the experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sha Liu
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fang Huang
- Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Guoqing Ru
- Cancer Center, Department of Pathology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yigang Wang
- College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Bixiang Zhang
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaoping Chen
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Liang Chu
- Hepatic Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- *Correspondence: Liang Chu,
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Liu Y, Lan L, Li Y, Lu J, He L, Deng Y, Fei M, Lu JW, Shangguan F, Lu JP, Wang J, Wu L, Huang K, Lu B. N-glycosylation stabilizes MerTK and promotes hepatocellular carcinoma tumor growth. Redox Biol 2022; 54:102366. [PMID: 35728303 PMCID: PMC9214875 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2022.102366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the evidences of elevated expression of Mer tyrosine kinase (MerTK) in multiple human cancers, mechanisms underlying the oncogenic roles of MerTK in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains undefined. We explored the functional effects of MerTK and N-Glycosylated MerTK on HCC cell survival and tumor growth. Here, we show that MerTK ablation increases reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and promotes the switching from glycolytic metabolism to oxidative phosphorylation in HCC cells, thus suppressing HCC cell proliferation and tumor growth. MerTK is N-glycosylated in HCC cells at asparagine 294 and 454 that stabilizes MerTK to promote oncogenic transformation. Moreover, we observed that nuclear located non-glycosylated MerTK is indispensable for survival of HCC cells under stress. Pathologically, tissue microarray (TMA) data indicate that MerTK is a pivotal prognostic factor for HCC. Our data strongly support the roles of MerTK N-glycosylation in HCC tumorigenesis and suggesting N-glycosylation inhibition as a potential HCC therapeutic strategy. MerTK promotes the switching from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolytic metabolism in HCC cells. MerTK is N-glycosylated in HCC cells at asparagine 294 and 454 that stabilizes MerTK to promote HCC tumor growth. The nuclear located non-glycosylated MerTK is indispensable for survival of HCC cells under stress. MerTK is a pivotal prognostic factor for HCC and its N-glycosylation inhibition is a potential HCC therapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongzhang Liu
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Linhua Lan
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Yujie Li
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Jing Lu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First People's Hospital of Jingzhou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Yangtze University, Jingzhou, Hubei, 434000, China
| | - Lipeng He
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Yao Deng
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Mingming Fei
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Jun-Wan Lu
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Fugen Shangguan
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Hepato-Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Ju-Ping Lu
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Jiaxin Wang
- Protein Quality Control and Diseases Laboratory, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
| | - Liang Wu
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Kate Huang
- Department of Pathology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325000, China
| | - Bin Lu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China; Attardi Institute of Mitochondrial Biomedicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325035, China.
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Pitstick LD, Goral J, Schmelter RA, Fuja CM, Ciancio MJ, Pytynia M, Meyer A, Green JM. Fat and exposure to 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide causes histologic and inflammatory changes in murine livers. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268891. [PMID: 35639668 PMCID: PMC9154184 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Risk factors for liver cancer include tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, and male sex. Administration of 4-nitroquinonline-1-oxide (4NQO) in drinking water mimics the effects of tobacco and leads to oral carcinoma in mice. This study compared the effects of diets high and low in saturated fat (HF and LF, respectively), and sex, on liver histopathology in 4NQO-treated mice and controls. We hypothesized that 4NQO would cause histopathological changes in liver, and that a HF diet would increase hepatic pathology when compared to the LF diet. Mice (C57Bl/6, 36/sex), were divided into a low fat (10 kcal% fat; LF) or high fat (60 kcal% fat, HF) diet. Mice were further subdivided into one of 3 water treatment groups for 17 weeks: water (control), vehicle (1.25% propylene glycol in water [PG]), or 4NQO in (50 μg/ml; 4NQO). All mice were subsequently given water alone for 6 more weeks. Upon euthanasia, livers were harvested, fixed, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). H&E slides were graded for histopathology; frozen liver samples were analyzed for triglyceride content. Trichrome stained sections were graded for fibrosis. CD3+ T cells, CD68+ macrophages, and Ly6+ neutrophils were detected by immunohistochemistry. Compared to water controls, 4NQO-treatment caused mouse liver histopathological changes such as fibrosis, and increases in hepatic neutrophils, T cells, and macrophages. HF diet exacerbated pathological changes compared to LF diet. Male controls, but not females, demonstrated severe steatosis and increased triglyceride content. 4NQO treatment decreased hepatic fat accumulation, even in animals on a HF diet. In conclusion, this murine model of oral cancer may serve as a model to study the effects of tobacco and diet on liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lenore D. Pitstick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America
| | - Joanna Goral
- Department of Anatomy, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America
| | - Ryan A. Schmelter
- Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America
| | - Christine M. Fuja
- Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America
| | - Mae J. Ciancio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America
| | - Matthew Pytynia
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America
| | - Alice Meyer
- Department of Anatomy, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America
| | - Jacalyn M. Green
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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35
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Ebrahem EMM, Sayed GH, Gad GNA, Anwer KE, Selim AA. Histopathology, pharmacokinetics and estimation of interleukin-6 levels of Moringa oleifera leaves extract-functionalized selenium nanoparticles against rats induced hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Nanotechnol 2022. [DOI: 10.1186/s12645-022-00123-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most dangerous cancers in all the world. This study focused on prevention and therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using Moringa oleifera extract combined with vitamin C and selenium in a nanoplatform (MO/asc.-Se-NPs).
Results
Full characterization of MO/asc.-Se-NPs was performed by using different analytical techniques (TEM, DLS, zeta-sizer), and its antioxidant capacity was measured by DPPH assay. Biodistribution study was performed with the aid of radiolabeling technique using technetium-99m in normal albino mice. HCC was induced in Wister albino rats to evaluate the efficiency of MO/asc.-Se-NPs in the treatment of HCC. The biomarker analysis (ALT, AST and ALB) shows improvement in its values in prevention and treated groups by using MO/asc.-Se NP. The levels of inflammatory marker interleukin 6 (IL6 tissue homogenate) was improved by decreasing its values in these two groups also. Histology section of tissue liver showed alleviation in treated and prevention groups.
Conclusions
In conclusion, MO/asc.-Se-NPs can be used as a potential agent for prevention and treatment of HCC after further preclinical studies.
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Chen S, Dong Y, Qi X, Cao Q, Luo T, Bai Z, He H, Fan Z, Xu L, Xing G, Wang C, Jin Z, Li Z, Chen L, Zhong Y, Wang J, Ge J, Xiao X, Bian X, Wen W, Ren J, Wang H. Aristolochic acids exposure was not the main cause of liver tumorigenesis in adulthood. Acta Pharm Sin B 2022; 12:2252-2267. [PMID: 35646530 PMCID: PMC9136577 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aristolochic acids (AAs) have long been considered as a potent carcinogen due to its nephrotoxicity. Aristolochic acid I (AAI) reacts with DNA to form covalent aristolactam (AL)–DNA adducts, leading to subsequent A to T transversion mutation, commonly referred as AA mutational signature. Previous research inferred that AAs were widely implicated in liver cancer throughout Asia. In this study, we explored whether AAs exposure was the main cause of liver cancer in the context of HBV infection in mainland China. Totally 1256 liver cancer samples were randomly retrieved from 3 medical centers and a refined bioanalytical method was used to detect AAI–DNA adducts. 5.10% of these samples could be identified as AAI positive exposure. Whole genome sequencing suggested 8.41% of 107 liver cancer patients exhibited the dominant AA mutational signature, indicating a relatively low overall AAI exposure rate. In animal models, long-term administration of AAI barely increased liver tumorigenesis in adult mice, opposite from its tumor-inducing role when subjected to infant mice. Furthermore, AAI induced dose-dependent accumulation of AA–DNA adduct in target organs in adult mice, with the most detected in kidney instead of liver. Taken together, our data indicate that AA exposure was not the major threat of liver cancer in adulthood.
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Key Words
- AAI, Aristolochic acid I
- AAs, aristolochic acids
- AA–DNA adduct
- AFP, alpha fetoprotein
- AL, aristolactam
- ALT, alanine aminotransferase
- AST, aspartate aminotransferase
- Aristolochic acids (AAs)
- CHERRY, Chinese Electronic Health Records Research
- COSMIC, Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer
- CRE, creatinine
- DEN, N-nitrosodiethylamine
- EHBH, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital
- FFPE, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded
- HBV, hepatitis B virus
- HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV)
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- Liver tumorigenesis
- MVI, microvessel invasion
- Mutational signature
- Risk factors
- SNV, somatic single nucleotide variant
- TCGA, The Cancer Genome Atlas
- Tumor prevention
- WGS, whole genome sequencing
- WT, wild type
- dA-ALI, 7-deoxyadenosin-N6-yl aristolactam I
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37
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Raissa R, Riawan W, Safitri A, Masruri M, Beltran MAG, Aulanniam A. In vitro and in vivo study: Ethanolic extract leaves of Azadirachta indica Juss. variant of Indonesia and Philippines suppresses tumor growth of hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting IL-6/STAT3 signaling. F1000Res 2022; 11:477. [PMID: 37829248 PMCID: PMC10565427 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.109557.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Azadirachta indica Juss. has been shown to suppress cancer progression through a variety of mechanisms. In order to treat cancer progression, cancer immunotherapy is used to stimulate the immune system where immunosuppression is present in tumor microenvironments. Many cancer cells produce a lot of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and signal transducer activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). STAT3 plays a key role in suppressing the expression of critical immune activation regulators. IL-6-mediated STAT3 activation is common in the tumor microenvironment. Inhibiting the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway has become a therapeutic option for cancer progression. As vimentin is also expressed in hepatic stellate cells boosting cancer survival. We focused on the precise effect of extract from leaves of Azadirachta indica Juss, on inhibiting the IL-6/STAT3 signaling cascade on hepatocellular carcinoma by in vitro and in vivo study. Methods: In the in vitro study, the effect of Azadirachta indica Juss. variant Indonesia and Philippines against the expression of IL-6 and STAT3 was examined in liver cancer cell line. In the in vivo study, 24 male rats ( Rattus norvegicus) strain Wistar were induced by diethylnitrosamine and carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4). Based on the therapy given, the groups were divided into negative control, positive control, Indonesia extract, and Philippine extract. Expression of IL-6, STAT3, and vimentin were tested using immunohistochemistry staining. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance, which was then followed by the Tukey test. Results: Statistically significant difference in IL-6 and STAT3 was observed between the treatment groups and positive control group by in vitro study and in vivo study. Generally, there is no significant difference between treatment using Indonesian and Philippine leaves. Conclusion: Both therapy doses of Azadirachta indica variant in Indonesia and Philippines were able to reduce IL-6, STAT3 and vimentin expression of hepatocellular carcinoma cell by in vitro and in vivo experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricadonna Raissa
- Doctoral Program of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
| | - Wibi Riawan
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
| | - Anna Safitri
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
- Research Center for Smart Molecules of Natural Genetic Resources (SMONAGENES), Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
| | - Masruri Masruri
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
| | | | - Aulanniam Aulanniam
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia
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38
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Gou Y, Yang D, Tian T, Zhu X, Zhang R, Ren J, Tu D, Luo Y, Miao Y, Zhao H, Wang Y, Wei B. The Transcription of ZIP9 Is Associated With the Macrophage Polarization and the Pathogenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Front Immunol 2022; 13:725595. [PMID: 35371096 PMCID: PMC8967370 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.725595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common digestive system cancers (DSCs) with a poor prognosis. Zinc‐regulated transporter (ZRT)/iron‐regulated transporter (IRT) like protein transporters (ZIPs) encode membrane transport proteins, which are responsible for the absorption of zinc and play important roles in the pathogenesis of various human cancers. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are important participants in the regulation of tumor microenvironment and the development of HCC. Individual role of each ZIP involved in hepatocarcinogenesis remains elusive. In this study, the transcription patterns of ZIPs in the DSCs were screened firstly through GEPIA2 database. Interestingly, the analysis of the DSCs data showed the distinct mRNA levels of ZIPs between DSCs tissues and healthy controls. Notably, the transcription levels of ZIP2, ZIP5, ZIP8, ZIP9 and ZIP14 were decreased significantly in the tissues of human liver cancer compared to paracarcinoma liver tissues. To further confirm the mRNA transcriptional changes of Zips in HCC, N-Nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) combined with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) inducing mouse model of HCC were established. Consistently, the mRNA levels of Zip2, Zip9, and Zip14 in liver tissues of HCC induced mice were also decreased compared with the healthy controls. In addition, mouse peritoneal elucidated macrophages (PEMs)-derived M1/M2 macrophages in vitro, as well as human patients of HCC-derived TAMs, were used to examine the transcription levels of ZIPs. Our results showed that both Zip2 and Zip9 were up-regulated in M2-polarized macrophages. Zip2 transcript was also up-regulated M1-polarized macrophages, but Zip9 was slightly down-regulated. TAMs generated from human liver cancer tissues also displayed a decrease in ZIP9 transcription compared to paracarcinoma tissues. To further explore the role of Zip9 in M1/M2 polarization, the siRNA knockdown results revealed that Zip9, but not Zip2, could promote M2 macrophage polarization and impair M1 macrophage polarization. Mechanistically, Zip9 enhances phosphorylated STAT6 to promote M2 macrophage polarization but suppresses the phosphorylation of IκBα/β to inhibit M1 macrophage polarization. Together, our results indicate that ZIP9 may involve in macrophages polarity in HCC development and may be a potent new biomarker for the diagnosis of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Gou
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Organ Repair, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
| | - Taikun Tian
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Organ Repair, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xingguo Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Organ Repair, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Raorao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaqi Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China
| | - Dezhen Tu
- State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Luo
- Department of Head & Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center/Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuqing Miao
- Department of Respiration Medicine, Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai University, Nantong, China
| | - Huan Zhao
- Department of Respiration Medicine, Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai University, Nantong, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Head & Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center/Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China.,Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Bin Wei
- School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Organ Repair, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.,Cancer Center, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
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Okazaki Y. The Role of Ferric Nitrilotriacetate in Renal Carcinogenesis and Cell Death: From Animal Models to Clinical Implications. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14061495. [PMID: 35326646 PMCID: PMC8946552 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14061495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron is essential for cellular growth, and various ferroproteins and heme-containing proteins are involved in a myriad of cellular functions, such as DNA synthesis, oxygen transport, and catalytic reactions. As a consequence, iron deficiency causes pleiotropic effects, such as hypochromic microcytic anemia and growth disturbance, while iron overload is also deleterious by oxidative injury. To prevent the generation of iron-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS), ferritin is synthesized to store excess iron in cells that are consistent with the clinical utility of the serum ferritin concentration to monitor the therapeutic effect of iron-chelation. Among the animal models exploring iron-induced oxidative stress, ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) was shown to initiate hepatic and renal lipid peroxidation and the development of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after repeated intraperitoneal injections of Fe-NTA. Here, current understanding of Fe-NTA-induced oxidative stress mediated by glutathione-cycle-dependent iron reduction and the molecular mechanisms of renal carcinogenesis are summarized in combination with a summary of the relationship between the pathogenesis of human RCC and iron metabolism. In addition to iron-mediated carcinogenesis, the ferroptosis that is triggered by the iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxidation and is implicated in the carcinogenesis is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasumasa Okazaki
- Department of Pathology and Biological Responses, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-Ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
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40
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Therapeutic Effect of Catgut Implantation at Acupoint in a Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Suppressing Immune Escape. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2022; 2022:5572869. [PMID: 35178106 PMCID: PMC8846981 DOI: 10.1155/2022/5572869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Background The occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are closely related to immune function, as is the capacity of hepatoma cells to escape. Immunosurveillance is a key mechanism. Catgut implantation at acupoint (CIAA) is a promising acupuncture improvement method that can regulate immunity and has been widely used in the clinical treatment of a variety of diseases. The aim of this study is to observe the therapeutic effect of CIAA on HCC and to investigate the potential mechanism of immune escape. Materials and Methods A total of 40 mice were randomly divided into three groups: the HCC model group (n = 15), the CIAA treatment group (n = 15), and the control group (n = 10). HCC was chemically induced in 30 mice by the combination of DEN, carbon tetrachloride, and ethanol for 150 days. Among them, 15 were selected for CIAA treatment to ascertain the therapeutic effect. The mRNA expression levels of AFP, IL-10, PD-1, and CTLA-4 in three groups were examined by using RT-PCR. AFP and AKT expressions were measured by using western blotting. PD1, CTLA-4, IL-10, CD4+, and CD8+ protein expression levels were evaluated by using IHC. The mortality rate, body weight, and psychological conditions of three groups were also compared. Results The mRNA and protein expression levels of AFP, PD-1, CTLA-4, and IL-10 were significantly downregulated in the CIAA-treated mice in comparison with HCC mice. IHC assay shows that CD4+ and CD8+ expression levels were notably upregulated after CIAA treatment. Western blotting assay shows that AKT pathway was deactivated in CIAA-treated mice. CIAA notably reduced the mortality rate and inhibited weight loss caused by HCC and improved the overall psychological condition of the mice. Conclusions Taken together, our data corroborate the effective potency of CIAA in the treatment of HCC by and inhibiting immune escape and deactivating the AKT pathway.
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Quercetin Regulates Key Components of the Cellular Microenvironment during Early Hepatocarcinogenesis. Antioxidants (Basel) 2022; 11:antiox11020358. [PMID: 35204240 PMCID: PMC8868318 DOI: 10.3390/antiox11020358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a health problem worldwide due to its high mortality rate, and the tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a key role in the HCC progression. The current ineffective therapies to fight the disease still warrant the development of preventive strategies. Quercetin has been shown to have different antitumor activities; however, its effect on TME components in preneoplastic lesions has not been fully investigated yet. Here, we aimed to evaluate the effect of quercetin (10 mg/kg) on TME components during the early stages of HCC progression induced in the rat. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses showed that quercetin decreases the size of preneoplastic lesions, glycogen and collagen accumulation, the expression of cancer stem cells and myofibroblasts markers, and that of the transporter ATP binding cassette subfamily C member 3 (ABCC3), a marker of HCC progression and multi-drug resistance. Our results strongly suggest that quercetin has the capability to reduce key components of TME, as well as the expression of ABCC3. Thus, quercetin can be an alternative treatment for inhibiting the growth of early HCC tumors.
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42
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Yu JH, Ma S. Organoids as research models for hepatocellular carcinoma. Exp Cell Res 2021; 411:112987. [PMID: 34942189 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2021.112987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Organoid culture is an emerging research tool that has proved tremendously useful in a multitude of aspects, one of which is cancer research. They largely overcome the limitations of previous cancer models by their faithful recapitulation of the in vivo biology, while still remaining amenable to perturbations. Using a cocktail of biologicals that mimic the stem cell niche signaling, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) organoids could be generated from tissue samples of both human and murine origin. Existing reports show that HCC organoids retain key characteristics of their parental tumor tissue, including the histological architecture, genomic landscape, expression profile and intra-tumor heterogeneity. There is ongoing effort to establish living biobanks of patient-derived cancer organoids, annotated with multi-omics data and clinical data, and they can be particularly valuable in stratification of HCC subtypes, pre-clinical drug discovery and personalized medicine. In the future, efforts in the standardization of procedures and nomenclature, refinement of protocols, as well as engineering of the culture systems will enable scientists to unleash the full potential of organoid technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Hy Yu
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Stephanie Ma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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43
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Li S, Li Y, Sun H, Jiang Y, Pan K, Su Y, Bu N. Mulberry fruit polysaccharides alleviate diethylnitrosamine/phenobarbital-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in vivo: the roles of cell apoptosis and inflammation. Bioengineered 2021; 12:11599-11611. [PMID: 34866538 PMCID: PMC8810071 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1993716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, and chemoprevention represents a feasible treatment to reduce the mortality of this carcinoma. Mulberry fruit polysaccharides (MFP) possess immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, which have been reported to alleviate liver damage evoked by CCl4 or alcohol in previous reports. However, its chemopreventive effect against liver carcinogenesis is insufficient. The present study was aimed to investigate the possible role of MFP as a pro-apoptosis, and anti-inflammatory agent to possess its chemoprevention property. Hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by diethylnitrosamine/phenobarbital (DEN/PB) for 14 weeks. The DEN/PB-administered rats were co-treated with different doses of MFP (50 or 100 mg/kg body weight) by oral gavage for 14 weeks. Basic hepatic function indexes (AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, total bilirubin, and albumin), and hepatic tumor biomarkers (AFP, CEA, and CA19.9), together with histological assessment were performed. Besides, the hepatic apoptosis markers (Bcl-2, Bax, caspase3, and caspase9), inflammation markers (IL-1β, TNF-α, and NF-κB), and mutT homologue gene 1 (MTH1) were examined. Oral gavage of MFP inhibited the elevations of hepatic function indexes and hepatic tumor biomarkers and alleviated pathological changes in hepatic tissue. In addition, the hepatic apoptosis markers, inflammation markers, and the mRNA level of MTH1 were abnormal in DEN/PB group, which were reversed by MFP treatment. In conclusion, MFP is an effective agent that provides chemoprevention against DEN/PB-evoked hepatocarcinogenesis via inhibition of inflammation and induction of apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Li
- Jia Musi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jia Musi, Hei Longjiang, China
| | - Yang Li
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Hei Longjiang, China
| | - Hongjian Sun
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Jia Musi Central Hospital, Jia Musi, Hei Longjiang, China
| | - Yang Jiang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Jia Musi Central Hospital, Jia Musi, Hei Longjiang, China
| | - Keming Pan
- Jia Musi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jia Musi, Hei Longjiang, China
| | - Yue Su
- Jia Musi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jia Musi, Hei Longjiang, China
| | - Nan Bu
- Jia Musi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jia Musi, Hei Longjiang, China
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Abouzed TK, Eldomany EB, Khatab SA, Aldhahrani A, Gouda WM, Elgazzar AM, Soliman MM, Kassab MA, El-Shazly SA, Althobaiti F, Dorghamm DA. The modulatory effect of bee honey against diethyl nitrosamine and carbon tetrachloride instigated hepatocellular carcinoma in Wistar rats. Toxicol Res (Camb) 2021; 10:1092-1103. [PMID: 34992771 PMCID: PMC8693075 DOI: 10.1093/toxres/tfab094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a serious threat to human health that has attracted substantial interest. The purpose of this study was to investigate the modulatory effect of bee honey against induced HCC by diethylnitrosamine/carbon tetrachloride (DEN/CCl4) in rats. HCC was induced by a single intraperitoneal dose of DEN (200 mg/kg B.W). Two weeks later, CCl4 (1 ml/kg) was intraperitoneally injected (three times a week). Bee honey was administered orally at 2 g/rat before and after the induction of HCC. The results showed that bee honey administration significantly increased body weight, decreased liver weight, and relative liver weight compared to those in the HCC-induced group. Moreover, a significant decrease in serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as well as AST, ALT, GGT, ALP activities were observed in bee honey administration rats compared with those in HCC-induced group. Also, the hepatic MDA was significantly decreased; in addition, SOD, CAT, and GPx activities were significantly increased in groups treated with bee honey compared with those in the HCC group. The hepatic histopathology alterations caused by DEN/CCl4 injection were ameliorated by bee honey treatment. Likewise, the mRNA expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), glypican (GP-3), thioredoxin (TRX), and glutaredoxin (GRX) were downregulated, and caspase-3 was upregulated by bee honey treatment compared with untreated HCC-induced group. In conclusion, bee honey has remarkable beneficial effects against HCC induced in rats through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, and antimetastatic effects. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The current study confirmed that honey has the potential to act as an antimetastatic factor. Bee honey supplementation either before or after combined injection of DEN/CCl4 exhibited inhibitory and ameliorative effects against DEN/CCl4-induced HCC through its antioxidant, antiproliferative, anti-metastatic, antifibrotic, and apoptosis properties. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the molecular mechanisms underlying honey's effects against DEN/CCl4-induced HCC in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarek Kamal Abouzed
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Ehab B Eldomany
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Faculty of Postgraduate Studies for Advanced Sciences, Beni-suef University, Beni-suef, Egypt
| | - Shymaa A Khatab
- Genetics and Genetic Engineering Department of Animal Husbandry and Animal Wealth Development, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Adil Aldhahrani
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department, Turabah University College, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Wael M Gouda
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhur University, Damanhur, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M Elgazzar
- Department of Veterinary Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Mohamed Soliman
- Clinical Laboratory Sciences Department, Turabah University College, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohmed Atef Kassab
- Department of Cytology and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafr-Elsheikh University, Kafr-Elsheikh, Egypt
| | - Samir Ahmed El-Shazly
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Fayez Althobaiti
- Biotechnology Department, College of Science, Taif University, Taif 21995, Saudi Arabia
| | - Doaa Abdallha Dorghamm
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
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Loh JJ, Li TW, Zhou L, Wong TL, Liu X, Ma VWS, Lo CM, Man K, Lee TK, Ning W, Tong M, Ma S. FSTL1 Secreted by Activated Fibroblasts Promotes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis and Stemness. Cancer Res 2021; 81:5692-5705. [PMID: 34551961 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-4226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in maintaining the immature phenotype of tumor-initiating cells (TIC) to promote cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a unique disease in that it develops in the setting of fibrosis and cirrhosis. This pathologic state commonly shows an enrichment of stromal myofibroblasts, which constitute the bulk of the tumor microenvironment and contribute to disease progression. Follistatin-like 1 (FSTL1) has been widely reported as a proinflammatory mediator in different fibrosis-related and inflammatory diseases. Here we show FSTL1 expression to be closely correlated with activated fibroblasts and to be elevated in regenerative, fibrotic, and disease liver states in various mouse models. Consistently, FSTL1 lineage cells gave rise to myofibroblasts in a CCL4-induced hepatic fibrosis mouse model. Clinically, high FSTL1 in fibroblast activation protein-positive (FAP+) fibroblasts were significantly correlated with more advanced tumors in patients with HCC. Although FSTL1 was expressed in primary fibroblasts derived from patients with HCC, it was barely detectable in HCC cell lines. Functional investigations revealed that treatment of HCC cells and patient-derived 3D organoids with recombinant FSTL1 or with conditioned medium collected from hepatic stellate cells or from cells overexpressing FSTL1 could promote HCC growth and metastasis. FSTL1 bound to TLR4 receptor, resulting in activation of AKT/mTOR/4EBP1 signaling. In a preclinical mouse model, blockade of FSTL1 mitigated HCC malignancy and metastasis, sensitized HCC tumors to sorafenib, prolonged survival, and eradicated the TIC subset. Collectively, these data suggest that FSTL1 may serve as an important novel diagnostic/prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in HCC. SIGNIFICANCE: This study shows that FSTL1 secreted by activated fibroblasts in the liver microenvironment augments hepatocellular carcinoma malignancy, providing a potential new strategy to improve treatment of this aggressive disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Jian Loh
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Tsz-Wai Li
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Lei Zhou
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Tin-Lok Wong
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Xue Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Victor W S Ma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Chung-Mau Lo
- Department of Surgery, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Kwan Man
- Department of Surgery, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Terence K Lee
- Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong
| | - Wen Ning
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Man Tong
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong. .,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Stephanie Ma
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong. .,State Key Laboratory of Liver Research, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
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46
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Targeted delivery of miR-218 via decorated hyperbranched polyamidoamine for liver cancer regression. Int J Pharm 2021; 610:121256. [PMID: 34732362 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2021.121256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of most common causes of cancer death worldwide. MicroRNA (miRNA) replacement gene therapy is a novel approach for HCC management. MiR-218 is a promising tumor suppressor miRNA that is down-regulated in HCC. Here, our aim was the targeted delivery of miR-218 expressing DNA plasmid (pmiR-218) to suppress HCC in vitro and in vivo. Hyperbranched polyamidoamine was synthesized via simple and economically one-pot reaction followed by decoration with lactobionic acid (LA-PAMAM) to selectively deliver and restore miR-218 expression in HCC. In vitro cytotoxicity investigations revealed the high biocompatibility of LA-PAMAM. Furthermore, decoration of hyperbranched polymer with LA moieties enabled LA-PAMAM to deliver pmiR-218 more efficiently to HepG2 cells compared to both PMAMA and naked pmiR-218. Such efficient delivery of miR-218 resulted in suppression of HepG2 proliferation and down-regulation of its oncogenic HOXA1 target. In vivo, LA-PAMAM/pmiR-218 treatment of HCC induced by DEN and CCl4 in mice leads to an obvious decrease in the number and size of HCC nodules. In addition, LA-PAMAM/pmiR-218 significantly improved the liver histological features, as well as down-regulated the HOXA1 in liver tissue. In conclusion, this study showed the potential of LA-PAMAM carrier for the targeted delivery of tumor suppressor miR-218 as a therapeutic candidate for HCC.
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Ghufran H, Azam M, Mehmood A, Butt H, Riazuddin S. Standardization of diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma rat model with time based molecular assessment. Exp Mol Pathol 2021; 123:104715. [PMID: 34699901 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2021.104715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 10/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This study was intended (1) to develop a robust animal model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) research, in which HCC tumors develop in a background of fibrosis or cirrhosis; and (2) to explore time-dependent regulatory changes in key molecular markers during disease advancement and HCC development. With the aim of establishing such HCC model, male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with diethylnitrosamine (DEN) at a dose of 30 mg/kg twice a week for 10 weeks then once a week from 12th to 16th weeks. The rats were kept under observation until 18th week. At defined time intervals (2nd, 4th, 12th, and 18th week), serum biomarkers and microscopic components of tissue samples were used to investigate the chronic progression of liver disease, while gene and protein analysis was used to monitor expression patterns during HCC development. DEN-intoxicated rats manifested inflammation at week 4, fibrosis at week 12 and cirrhosis with early HCC tumors at week 18. Molecular analysis revealed that key markers of inflammation (Il-1β, Il-6, and Tnf-α), fibrosis (Tgf-β1, Col1α1, Col3α1, and Timp-1), and angiogenesis (Hif1-α and Vegf) were promptly (P ≤ 0.001) up-regulated at week 4, week 12 and week 18, respectively. Oxidative stress (iNos, Cyp2e1, and Sod1) and pro-apoptotic (Bax) markers showed significant upregulation from week 4 to week 12. However, Sod1 and Bax expressions dropped after week 12 and reached a minimum at 18th week. Strikingly, expressions of anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) and cell proliferation (Pcna, Hgf, and Afp) markers were abruptly increased at week 18. Collectively, we describe an 18-week HCC model in DEN-intoxicated rats that exhibit chronic inflammation, oxidative imbalance, advance fibrosis/cirrhosis, halted apoptosis, and angiogenic sprouting, progressively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hafiz Ghufran
- National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, 87-West Canal Bank Road, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Maryam Azam
- National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, 87-West Canal Bank Road, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Azra Mehmood
- National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, 87-West Canal Bank Road, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Hira Butt
- National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, 87-West Canal Bank Road, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Sheikh Riazuddin
- National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, 87-West Canal Bank Road, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan; Allama Iqbal Medical Research Centre, Jinnah Burn and Reconstructive Surgery Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
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48
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Aljuhr SA, Abdelaziz G, Essa BM, Zaghary WA, Sakr TM. Hepatoprotective, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potentials of Vit-E/C@SeNPs in rats: Synthesis, characterization, biochemical, radio-biodistribution, molecular and histopathological studies. Bioorg Chem 2021; 117:105412. [PMID: 34649153 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2021.105412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to synthesize a nano-structure between selenium, Vit. C, and Vit. E (Vit-E/C@SeNPs) as a promising protective and therapeutic agent for hepatocellular carcinoma. Vit-E/C@SeNPs were characterized using TEM and DLS and its zetapotential was measured to evaluate its stability. DPPH assay and SRB test were performed to estimate its antioxidant capacity and cytotoxicity, respectively. A radiosynthesis of 99mTc-Vit-E/C@SeNPs was done for further in-vivo pharmacokinetic studies on normal and solid tumor induced mice. Further, in-vivo studies were conducted to investigate Vit-E/C@SeNPs efficacy against hepatocellular damage in Wistar albino rats induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) / Carbon Tetra chloride (CCl4). The synthesis results showed spherical Vit-E/C@SeNPs with core size of 50 nm, radical scavenging activity (%RSC) of 75.9%, and IC50 of 27.9 µg/ml. The biochemical analysis results showed that the lower liver function biomarker values (ALT, AST, ALP, total bilirubin and GGT) has gone for the Vit-E/C@SeNPs prevention and treated group, which also showed significant depletion of liver tissue l-MDA, and obvious increase in GSH concentration and CAT activity and marked improvement in the histological feature of liver tissue. Additionally, a significant up-regulation of mRNA gene expression levels of inflammatory gene (TGFβ1, NFκB, iNOS, PPAR-γ and TNFα) and Apoptotic gene (P53) were determined by using Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The values down regulate and tend to normal in prevention and control group. All of these introduce Vit-E/C@SeNPs as a promising agent as protective and therapeutic agent against DEN/ CCl4-induced hepatocellular damage (Hepatocellular carcinoma).
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Affiliation(s)
- Safa A Aljuhr
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Gamal Abdelaziz
- Labeled Compounds Department, Hot Laboratories Center, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, 13759 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Basma M Essa
- Radioactive Isotopes and Generators Department, Hot Laboratories Center, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, 13759 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Wafaa A Zaghary
- Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Tamer M Sakr
- Radioactive Isotopes and Generators Department, Hot Laboratories Center, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, 13759 Cairo, Egypt.
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DEN-Induced Rat Model Reproduces Key Features of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13194981. [PMID: 34638465 PMCID: PMC8508319 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13194981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most frequent form of primary liver cancer, characterized by increasing incidence and high mortality. Animal models of hepatocellular carcinoma are widely used to study the biology of cancer and to test potential therapies. Herein, we describe how the rat model of DEN-induced hepatocellular carcinoma mimics the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma seen in humans, including liver damage, chronic inflammation, hepatocytes proliferation, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, disorganized vasculature, and modulations of the liver’s immune microenvironment. Our results should help the hepatocellular carcinoma field to better tailor the use of the DEN-induced rat liver cancer model for testing specific experimental hypotheses or to perform preclinical testing. Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. The majority of HCC cases are associated with liver fibrosis or cirrhosis developing from chronic liver injuries. The immune system of the liver contributes to the severity of tissue damage, the establishment of fibrosis and the disease’s progression towards HCC. Herein, we provide a detailed characterization of the DEN-induced HCC rat model during fibrosis progression and HCC development with a special focus on the liver’s inflammatory microenvironment. Fischer 344 male rats were treated weekly for 14 weeks with intra-peritoneal injections of 50 mg/kg DEN. The rats were sacrificed before starting DEN-injections at 0 weeks, after 8 weeks, 14 weeks and 20 weeks after the start of DEN-injections. We performed histopathological, immunohistochemical, RT-qPCR, RNA-seq and flow cytometry analysis. Data were compared between tumor and non-tumor samples from the DEN-treated versus untreated rats, as well as versus human HCCs. Chronic DEN injections lead to liver damage, hepatocytes proliferation, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, disorganized vasculature, and a modulated immune microenvironment that mimics the usual events observed during human HCC development. The RNA-seq results showed that DEN-induced liver tumors in the rat model shared remarkable molecular characteristics with human HCC, especially with HCC associated with high proliferation. In conclusion, our study provides detailed insight into hepatocarcinogenesis in a commonly used model of HCC, facilitating the future use of this model for preclinical testing.
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Qu L, Ma X, Fan D. Ginsenoside Rk3 Suppresses Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development through Targeting the Gut-Liver Axis. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:10121-10137. [PMID: 34415764 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c03279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Our previous reports showed that ginsenoside Rk3 provided excellent efficacy in alleviating the intestinal inflammatory response and protecting the liver, but its mechanism for HCC prevention remains to be explored. Here, the results suggested that Rk3 displayed potent antitumor effects against a dimethyl nitrosamine- and CCl4-induced HCC mouse model. Results revealed that Rk3 application inhibited liver injury, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. In parallel, Rk3 lowered the inflammatory response by decreasing the expression of inflammatory cytokines, inducing apoptosis, and blocking the cell cycle. Meanwhile, Rk3 effectively ameliorated the gut microbiota dysbiosis. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed that the LPS-TLR4 signaling pathway, which was inhibited by Rk3, plays a key role in preventing HCC. To conclude, our research provides valuable insights into how Rk3 application targets the gut-liver axis and suppresses HCC development, suggesting that Rk3 might be a promising candidate for clinical treatment of HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Qu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
- Shaanxi R&D Center of Biomaterials and Fermentation Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
- Biotech. & Biomed. Research Institute, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Ma
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
- Shaanxi R&D Center of Biomaterials and Fermentation Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
- Biotech. & Biomed. Research Institute, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
| | - Daidi Fan
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
- Shaanxi R&D Center of Biomaterials and Fermentation Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
- Biotech. & Biomed. Research Institute, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710069, China
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