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Luo L, Zhang W, You S, Cui X, Tu H, Yi Q, Wu J, Liu O. The role of epithelial cells in fibrosis: Mechanisms and treatment. Pharmacol Res 2024; 202:107144. [PMID: 38484858 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2024.107144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Fibrosis is a pathological process that affects multiple organs and is considered one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in multiple diseases, resulting in an enormous disease burden. Current studies have focused on fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, which directly lead to imbalance in generation and degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM). In recent years, an increasing number of studies have focused on the role of epithelial cells in fibrosis. In some cases, epithelial cells are first exposed to external physicochemical stimuli that may directly drive collagen accumulation in the mesenchyme. In other cases, the source of stimulation is mainly immune cells and some cytokines, and epithelial cells are similarly altered in the process. In this review, we will focus on the multiple dynamic alterations involved in epithelial cells after injury and during fibrogenesis, discuss the association among them, and summarize some therapies targeting changed epithelial cells. Especially, epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is the key central step, which is closely linked to other biological behaviors. Meanwhile, we think studies on disruption of epithelial barrier, epithelial cell death and altered basal stem cell populations and stemness in fibrosis are not appreciated. We believe that therapies targeted epithelial cells can prevent the progress of fibrosis, but not reverse it. The epithelial cell targeting therapies will provide a wonderful preventive and delaying action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liuyi Luo
- Xiangya Stomatological Hospital & Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Academician Workstation for Oral-maxilofacial and Regenerative Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Oral Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Siyao You
- Xiangya Stomatological Hospital & Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Academician Workstation for Oral-maxilofacial and Regenerative Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xinyan Cui
- Xiangya Stomatological Hospital & Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Academician Workstation for Oral-maxilofacial and Regenerative Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Hua Tu
- Xiangya Stomatological Hospital & Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Academician Workstation for Oral-maxilofacial and Regenerative Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Qiao Yi
- Xiangya Stomatological Hospital & Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Academician Workstation for Oral-maxilofacial and Regenerative Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Jianjun Wu
- Xiangya Stomatological Hospital & Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Academician Workstation for Oral-maxilofacial and Regenerative Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
| | - Ousheng Liu
- Xiangya Stomatological Hospital & Xiangya School of Stomatology, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Academician Workstation for Oral-maxilofacial and Regenerative Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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Yu Z, Xu Z, Li S, Tian Z, Feng Y, Zhao H, Xue G, Cui J, Yan C, Yuan J. Prophylactic vitamin C supplementation regulates DNA demethylation to protect against cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury in mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 695:149463. [PMID: 38176172 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.149463] [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: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) restricts the use of cisplatin as a first-line chemotherapeutic agent. Our previous study showed that prophylactic vitamin C supplementation may act as an epigenetic modulator in alleviating cisplatin-induced AKI in mice. However, the targets of vitamin C and the mechanisms underlying the epigenetics changes remain largely unknown. Herein, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and bulk RNA sequencing were performed on the kidney tissues of mice treated with cisplatin with prophylactic vitamin C supplementation (treatment mice) or phosphate-buffered saline (control mice) at 24 h after cisplatin treatment. Ascorbyl phosphate magnesium (APM), an oxidation-resistant vitamin C derivative, was found that led to global hypomethylation in the kidney tissue and regulated different functional genes in the promoter region and gene body region. Integrated evidence suggested that APM enhanced renal ion transport and metabolism, and reduced apoptosis and inflammation in the kidney tissues. Strikingly, Mapk15, Slc22a6, Cxcl5, and Cd44 were the potential targets of APM that conferred protection against cisplatin-induced AKI. Moreover, APM was found to be difficult to rescue cell proliferation and apoptosis caused by cisplatin in the Slc22a6 knockdown cell line. These results elucidate the mechanism by which vitamin C as an epigenetic regulator to protects against cisplatin-induced AKI and provides a new perspective and evidence support for controlling the disease process through regulating DNA methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihui Yu
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Ziying Xu
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Shang Li
- Department of Orthopedics, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Fuxing Road 8th, Haidian District, Beijing, 100853, China; National Clinical Research Center for Orthopedics, Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation, Fuxing Road 8th, Haidian District, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Ziyan Tian
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Yanling Feng
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Hanqing Zhao
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Guanhua Xue
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Jinghua Cui
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Chao Yan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China
| | - Jing Yuan
- Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, 100020, China.
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Liu D, Wang L, Ha W, Li K, Shen R, Wang D. HIF-1α: A potential therapeutic opportunity in renal fibrosis. Chem Biol Interact 2024; 387:110808. [PMID: 37980973 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbi.2023.110808] [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: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 11/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
Renal fibrosis is a common outcome of various renal injuries, leading to structural destruction and functional decline of the kidney, and is also a critical prognostic indicator and determinant in renal diseases therapy. Hypoxia is induced in different stress and injuries in kidney, and the hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are activated in the context of hypoxia in response and regulation the hypoxia in time. Under stress and hypoxia conditions, HIF-1α increases rapidly and regulates intracellular energy metabolism, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation. Through reprogramming cellular metabolism, HIF-1α can directly or indirectly induce abnormal accumulation of metabolites, changes in cellular epigenetic modifications, and activation of fibrotic signals. HIF-1α protein expression and activity are regulated by various posttranslational modifications. The drugs targeting HIF-1α can regulate the downstream cascade signals by inhibiting HIF-1α activity or promoting its degradation. As the renal fibrosis is affected by renal diseases, different diseases may trigger different mechanisms which will affect the therapy effect. Therefore, comprehensive analysis of the role and contribution of HIF-1α in occurrence and progression of renal fibrosis, and determination the appropriate intervention time of HIF-1α in the process of renal fibrosis are important ideas to explore effective treatment strategies. This study reviews the regulation of HIF-1α and its mediated complex cascade reactions in renal fibrosis, and lists some drugs targeting HIF-1α that used in preclinical studies, to provide new insight for the study of the renal fibrosis mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Disheng Liu
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou University, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Lu Wang
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou University, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Wuhua Ha
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou University, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Kan Li
- The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou University, Gansu, 730000, China
| | - Rong Shen
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, 730000, China.
| | - Degui Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Gansu, 730000, China.
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Dovrolis N, Filidou E, Tarapatzi G, Kokkotis G, Spathakis M, Kandilogiannakis L, Drygiannakis I, Valatas V, Arvanitidis K, Karakasiliotis I, Vradelis S, Manolopoulos VG, Paspaliaris V, Bamias G, Kolios G. Co-expression of fibrotic genes in inflammatory bowel disease; A localized event? Front Immunol 2022; 13:1058237. [PMID: 36632136 PMCID: PMC9826764 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1058237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Extracellular matrix turnover, a ubiquitous dynamic biological process, can be diverted to fibrosis. The latter can affect the intestine as a serious complication of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) and is resistant to current pharmacological interventions. It embosses the need for out-of-the-box approaches to identify and target molecular mechanisms of fibrosis. Methods and results In this study, a novel mRNA sequencing dataset of 22 pairs of intestinal biopsies from the terminal ileum (TI) and the sigmoid of 7 patients with Crohn's disease, 6 with ulcerative colitis and 9 control individuals (CI) served as a validation cohort of a core fibrotic transcriptomic signature (FIBSig), This signature, which was identified in publicly available data (839 samples from patients and healthy individuals) of 5 fibrotic disorders affecting different organs (GI tract, lung, skin, liver, kidney), encompasses 241 genes and the functional pathways which derive from their interactome. These genes were used in further bioinformatics co-expression analyses to elucidate the site-specific molecular background of intestinal fibrosis highlighting their involvement, particularly in the terminal ileum. We also confirmed different transcriptomic profiles of the sigmoid and terminal ileum in our validation cohort. Combining the results of these analyses we highlight 21 core hub genes within a larger single co-expression module, highly enriched in the terminal ileum of CD patients. Further pathway analysis revealed known and novel inflammation-regulated, fibrogenic pathways operating in the TI, such as IL-13 signaling and pyroptosis, respectively. Discussion These findings provide a rationale for the increased incidence of fibrosis at the terminal ileum of CD patients and highlight operating pathways in intestinal fibrosis for future evaluation with mechanistic and translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolas Dovrolis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Laboratory of Biology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Individualised Medicine & Pharmacological Research Solutions Center (IMPReS), Alexandroupolis, Greece,*Correspondence: George Kolios, ; Nikolas Dovrolis,
| | - Eirini Filidou
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Individualised Medicine & Pharmacological Research Solutions Center (IMPReS), Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Gesthimani Tarapatzi
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Individualised Medicine & Pharmacological Research Solutions Center (IMPReS), Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Georgios Kokkotis
- Gastrointestinal (GI) Unit, 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Sotiria Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Michail Spathakis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Individualised Medicine & Pharmacological Research Solutions Center (IMPReS), Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Leonidas Kandilogiannakis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Individualised Medicine & Pharmacological Research Solutions Center (IMPReS), Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Ioannis Drygiannakis
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Laboratory, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Vassilis Valatas
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Gastroenterology and Hepatology Research Laboratory, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Arvanitidis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Individualised Medicine & Pharmacological Research Solutions Center (IMPReS), Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Ioannis Karakasiliotis
- Laboratory of Biology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Stergios Vradelis
- Second Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Vangelis G. Manolopoulos
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Individualised Medicine & Pharmacological Research Solutions Center (IMPReS), Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | | | - Giorgos Bamias
- Gastrointestinal (GI) Unit, 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Sotiria Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - George Kolios
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece,Individualised Medicine & Pharmacological Research Solutions Center (IMPReS), Alexandroupolis, Greece,*Correspondence: George Kolios, ; Nikolas Dovrolis,
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