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Zhou Y, Liang P, Bi T, Tang B, Zhu X, Liu X, Wang H, Shen H, Sun Q, Yang S, Ren W. Angiotensin II depends on hippo/YAP signaling to reprogram angiogenesis and promote liver fibrosis. Cell Signal 2024; 123:111355. [PMID: 39173854 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2024.111355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
Liver fibrosis is a chronic pathological process in which the abnormal proliferation of connective tissue is induced by various pathogenic factors. During the process of fibrosis, excessive angiogenesis is observed. Physiological angiogenesis has the potential to impede the progression of liver fibrosis through augmenting matrix metalloenzyme activity; however, pathological angiogenesis can exacerbate liver fibrosis by promoting collagen accumulation. Therefore, a key scientific research focus in the treatment of liver diseases is to search for the "on-off" mechanism that regulates angiogenesis from normal proliferation to pathological proliferation. In this study, we found that excessive angiogenesis appeared during the initial phase of hepatic fibrosis without mesenchymal characteristics. In addition, angiogenesis accompanied by significant endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) was observed in mice after the intraperitoneal injection of angiotensin II (Ang II). Interestingly, the changes in Yes-associated protein (YAP) activity in endothelial cells (ECs) can affect the regulation of angiogenesis by Ang II. The results of in vitro experiments revealed that the regulatory influence of Ang II on ECs was significantly attenuated upon suppression of YAP activity. Furthermore, the function of Ang II in regulating angiogenesis during fibrosis was investigated in liver-specific transgenic mice. The results revealed that Ang II gene deletion could restrain liver fibrosis and EndMT. Meanwhile, Ang II deletion downregulated the profibrotic YAP signaling pathway in ECs. The small molecule AT1R agonist olmesartan targeting Ang II-YAP signaling could also alleviate liver fibrosis. In conclusion, this study identified Ang II as a pivotal regulator of EndMT during the progression of liver fibrosis and evaluated the therapeutic effect of the Ang II-targeted drug olmesartan on liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Zhou
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Pan Liang
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; State Key Laboratories for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 853, China
| | - Tao Bi
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Bo Tang
- Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Xiaoning Zhu
- Department of Hepatobiliary, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Xinyue Liu
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Hong Wang
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Hongping Shen
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Qin Sun
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Sijin Yang
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; State Key Laboratories for Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 853, China.
| | - Wei Ren
- National Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinical Research Base and Drug Research Center of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China; Institute of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China.
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Zhang HF, Gao X, Wang X, Chen X, Huang Y, Wang L, Xu ZW. The mechanisms of renin-angiotensin system in hepatocellular carcinoma: From the perspective of liver fibrosis, HCC cell proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis, and corresponding protection measures. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 141:111868. [PMID: 34328104 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide, of which the occurrence and development involve a variety of pathophysiological processes, such as liver fibrosis, hepatocellular malignant proliferation, metastasis, and tumor angiogenesis. Some important cytokines, such as TGF-β, PI3K, protein kinase B (Akt), VEGF and NF-κB, can regulate the growth, proliferation, diffusion, metastasis, and apoptosis of HCC cells by acting on the corresponding signaling pathways. Besides, many studies have shown that the formation of HCC is closely related to the main components of renin-angiotensin system (RAS), such as Ang II, ACE, ACE2, MasR, AT1R, and AT2R. Therefore, this review focused on liver fibrosis, HCC cell proliferation, metastasis, tumor angiogenesis, and corresponding protective measures. ACE-Ang II-AT1 axis and ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-MasR axis were taken as the main lines to introduce the mechanism of RAS in the occurrence and development of HCC, so as to provide references for future clinical work and scientific research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Feng Zhang
- Department of Clinical Medical, the First Clinical Medical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China
| | - Xiang Gao
- Department of Clinical Medical, the First Clinical Medical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- Department of Clinical Medical, the Second Clinical Medical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China
| | - Xin Chen
- Department of Clinical Medical, the Second Clinical Medical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China
| | - Yu Huang
- Department of Clinical Medical, the First Clinical Medical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China
| | - Lang Wang
- Department of Clinical Medical, the First Clinical Medical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China
| | - Zhou-Wei Xu
- Department of Emergency Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui 230022, China; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui Collaborative Innovation Center of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
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Abstract
Cirrhosis is the fifth leading cause of death in adults. Advanced cirrhosis can cause significant portal hypertension (PH), which is responsible for many of the complications observed in patients with cirrhosis, such as varices. If portal pressure exceeds a certain threshold, the patient is at risk of developing life-threatening bleeding from varices. Variceal bleeding has a high incidence among patients with liver cirrhosis and carries a high risk of mortality and morbidity. The management of variceal bleeding is complex, often requiring a multidisciplinary approach involving pharmacological, endoscopic, and radiologic interventions. In terms of management, three stages can be considered: primary prophylaxis, active bleeding, and secondary prophylaxis. The main goal of primary and secondary prophylaxis is to prevent variceal bleeding. However, active variceal bleeding is a medical emergency that requires swift intervention to stop the bleeding and achieve durable hemostasis. We describe the pathophysiology of cirrhosis and PH to contextualize the formation of gastric and esophageal varices. We also discuss the currently available treatments and compare how they fare in each stage of clinical management, with a special focus on drugs that can prevent bleeding or assist in achieving hemostasis.
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