Gene expression in human liver fibrosis associated with Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato

Extracellular vesicles derived from liver sinusoidal endothelial cells inhibit the activation of hepatic stellate cells and Kupffer cells in vitro

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) play a crucial role in maintaining liver microcirculation and exchange of nutrients in the liver and are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and Kupffer cells (KCs) has been considered to be responsible for the onset of liver fibrosis and the aggravation of liver injury. However, the paracrine regulatory effects of LSECs in the development of MASLD, in particular the role of LSEC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of LSEC-derived EVs on HSCs and KCs. Primary rat LSECs, HSCs and KCs were isolated from male Wistar rats. LSEC-derived EVs were isolated from conditioned medium by ultracentrifugation and analyzed by nanoparticle tracking analysis, and expression of specific markers. LSEC-derived EVs reduced the expression of activation markers in activated HSCs but did not affect quiescent HSCs. Also, LSEC-derived EVs suppressed proliferation of activated HSCs activation, as assessed by Xcelligence and BrdU assay. LSEC-derived EVs also increased the expression of inflammatory genes in HSCs that normally are lowly expression during their activation. In contrast, EVs decreased the expression of inflammatory genes in activated KCs. In summary, our results suggest that LSEC-derived EVs may attenuate the fibrogenic phenotype of activated HSCs and the inflammatory phenotype of KCs. Our results show promise for LSEC-derived EVs as therapeutic moieties to treat MASLD. In addition, these EVs might prove of diagnostic value.

Safety of Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy on the Sheep with Pulmonary Cystic Echinococcosis: A Preliminary Study

PURPOSE

Radiotherapy showed the potential to effectively kill the cysts of pulmonary cystic echinococcosis (CE). However, little is known about its safety. This study was designed to investigate the safety of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) on the normal lung tissue adjacent to the cyst and blood of sheep naturally infected with pulmonary CE.

METHODS

Twenty pulmonary CE sheep were randomly divided into control group (n = 5) and radiation groups with a dose of 30 Gray (Gy) (n = 5), 45 Gy (n = 5), and 60 Gy (n = 5), respectively. Animals in control group received no radiation. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), tumor growth factor-β (TGF-β), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 in the lung tissues adjacent to the cysts, which were considered to be closely related to the pathogenesis of CE, were evaluated after 3D-CRT. A routine blood test was conducted.

RESULTS

The results showed that there were multiple cysts of various sizes with protoscoleces in the lung tissues of sheep, and necrotic cysts were found after 3D-CRT. 3D-CRT significantly increased the mRNA level of Hsp70, enhanced the protein level of TGF-β and slightly increased the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 in lung tissues adjacent to the cysts. 3D-CRT did not significantly alter the amount of WBC, HB and PLT in sheep blood.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggested that 3D-CRT may suppress the inflammation and induce less damage of the normal lung tissues and blood. We preliminarily showed that 3D-CRT under a safe dose may be used to treat pulmonary CE.

Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Human Cystic Echinococcosis

BACKGROUND

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic disease caused by the Echinococcus granulosus senso lato (E. granulosus s.l.) larval stages. Parasitederived products have been shown to regulate host matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), contributing to CE pathogenesis and progressive liver fibrosis in intermediate hosts. The current study aimed to investigate the potential role of MMP1, 7, 8, and 13 in E. granulosus s.l-induced liver fibrosis.

METHODS

Thirty CE patients with active, transitional, or inactive hydatid cysts were enrolled in this study to determine the inductive effects of E. granulosus on the expression of MMP-1, MMP-7, MMP-8, and MMP-13 in healthy liver tissue and fibrotic liver tissue using qRT-PCR.

RESULTS

According to the WHO-IWGE classification, patients with functional cysts (CE1 and CE2) had the highest percentage (46.6%). MMP-1, MMP-7, MMP-8, and MMP-13 expression levels were significantly higher in fibrotic liver than in normal liver tissue. MMP-13 and MMP-1 had the highest and lowest expression levels among MMPs. Compared to the normal group, the fold change for MMP-13 in the fibrotic group was greater than 12 and had the highest AUC value (AUC= 0.8283).

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that E. granulosus-derived products might be involved in regulating host MMPs. Thus, MMPs may be considered potential biomarkers for predicting CE prognosis. Because of the non-normal distribution of our patients' CE types, further research, particularly on circulation MMPs, is needed to confirm the potential role of MMPs in CE pathogenesis and to follow up on CE patients.

microRNAs in parasite-induced liver fibrosis: from mechanisms to diagnostics and therapeutics

Chronic parasite infections in the liver pose a global threat to human and animal health, often occurring with liver fibrosis that leads to cirrhosis, liver failure, and even cancer. Hepatic fibrogenesis is a complex yet reversible process of tissue repair and is associated with various factors, including immune cells, microenvironment, gut microbiome, and interactions of the different liver cells. As a profibrogenic or antifibrogenic driver, microRNAs (miRNAs) are closely involved in parasite-induced hepatic fibrosis. This article updates the current understanding of the roles of miRNAs in hepatic fibrogenesis by parasite infections and discusses the strategies using miRNAs as candidates for diagnostics and therapeutics.

literammp-9 mRNA Expression and Bridging Fibrosis Progression in Toxic Liver Injury

Developing liver disease treatments, in which fibrosis is a key pathogenetic link, still remains an urgent problem in hepatology. In the present study, the level of mmp-9 mRNA expression and the number of FAP+, α-SMA+, CD45+ cells were analyzed at nine time points of fibrosis and cirrhosis. It was found that in the case of liver fibrosis, the choice of the optimal reference gene depended on the stage of fibrogenesis. When studying the specific stages rather than the entire process in a long-term experiment, it was shown that choosing an optimal reference gene has to be done additionally. In this case, the mmp-9 mRNA expression level should be considered as a marker of liver fibrosis initiation and development but not as that of cirrhosis progression. In the liver, two morphologically heterogeneous populations of myofibroblasts were simultaneously identified as able to synthesize various types of immunohistochemical markers. It was found that the FAP+ cells were the main contributor to the development of portal fibrosis and the initial stages of bridging fibrosis. In the selected experimental model, fibrosis initiation and the development stages preceding parenchyma restructuring were accompanied by a low level of inflammation.

COL3A1, CXCL8, VCAN, THBS2, and COL1A2 are correlated with the onset of biliary atresia

BACKGROUND

Biliary atresia (BA) is a devastating progressive fibro inflammatory disorder in infants. The exact etiology of BA is still unclear. This study aimed screen key genes potentially associated with the occurrence of BA.

METHODS

All BA data was obtained from GSE46960 dataset. The limma package in R language was used for differentially expressed gene (DEG) analyses. gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analysis were performed on the screened DEGs, using "clusterProfiler" package. protein-protein interaction network was built based on STRING Cytoscape software (Bethesda, Rockville, MD). The logistic regression model was constructed based on the selected DEGs.

RESULTS

There were totally 78 DEGs in BA samples compared with normal samples, which were significantly enriched in 200 biological process terms, 37 molecular function terms, 17 cellular component terms, and 18 Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathways. Among which, the top 10 genes with the highest importance in protein-protein interaction network were selected. Subsequently, on the basis of the stepwise regression method and 5-fold cross-validation, the logistic regression model constructed based on COL3A1, CXCL8, VCAN, THBS2, and COL1A2 was finally evidenced to predict the BA sample relatively reliably.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, COL3A1, CXCL8, VCAN, THBS2, and COL1A2 are potentially crucial genes in BA. The logistic regression model constructed based on them could predict the BA sample relatively reliably.

Echinococcus granulosus: The establishment of the metacestode in the liver is associated with control of the CD4+ T-cell-mediated immune response in patients with cystic echinococcosis and a mouse model

The larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (E. granulosus s.l.) caused a chronic infection, known as cystic echinococcosis (CE), which is a worldwide public health problem. The human secondary CE is caused by the dissemination of protoscoleces (PSCs) when fertile cysts are accidentally ruptured, followed by development of PSCs into new metacestodes. The local immune mechanisms responsible for the establishment and established phases after infection with E. granulosus s.l. are not clear. Here, we showed that T cells were involved in the formation of the immune environment in the liver in CE patients and Echinococcus granulosus sensu strict (E. granulosus s.s.)-infected mice, with CD4⁺ T cells being the dominant immune cells; this process was closely associated with cyst viability and establishment. Local T2-type responses in the liver were permissive for early infection establishment by E. granulosus s.s. between 4 and 6 weeks in the experimental model. CD4⁺ T-cell deficiency promoted PSC development into cysts in the liver in E. granulosus s.s.-infected mice. In addition, CD4⁺ T-cell-mediated cellular immune responses and IL-10-producing CD8⁺ T cells play a critical role in the establishment phase of secondary E. granulosus s.s. PSC infection. These data contribute to the understanding of local immune responses to CE and the design of new therapies by restoring effective immune responses and blocking evasion mechanisms during the establishment phase of infection.

The Role of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 and 2 in Echinococcus granulosus senso lato-Induced Human Hepatic Fibrosis

INTRODUCTION

The main mechanism underlying hepatic fibrosis is the imbalance between tissue Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) and Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases (TIMPs). This study aimed to investigate the potential role of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in the process of hepatic fibrosis caused by Echinococcus granulosus senso lato (E. granulosus s.l.).

METHODS

The expressions levels of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNAs were evaluated in fibrotic and normal hepatic tissues of 30 patients with Cystic Echinococcus (CE) using qRT-PCR. Moreover, their serum levels of TIMP-1 were assessed before CE cyst removal and 6 months after surgery using ELISA.

RESULTS

The qRT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNAs were significantly higher in the fibrotic hepatic tissue compared to the normal liver tissue, in a way that the TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 mRNA expression levels were 19.07 and 6.58 folds higher in the fibrotic tissue compared to the normal liver tissue. Among these TIMPs, TIMP-1 exhibited the higher area under the curve (AUC) value for predicting liver fibrosis. However, we could not find a significant difference in the serum levels of TIMP-1 before and after the cyst removal procedure (p = 0.48).

CONCLUSIONS

For the first time, our study showed that the significant overexpression of both TIMP mRNAs in the fibrotic liver tissue of the CE patients may be due to the increased expression of MMPs in the peri-cystic tissue. However, we could not find a significant difference in the pre- and post-operative TIMP-1 levels, which may be due to recurrence or heterogeneity in the cyst type. Therefore, performing further studies with a larger sample size of the CE patients is recommended.