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Arora M, Pavlíková Z, Kučera T, Kozlík P, Šopin T, Vacík T, Ľupták M, Duda M, Slanař O, Kutinová Canová N. Pharmacological effects of mTORC1/C2 inhibitor in a preclinical model of NASH progression. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 167:115447. [PMID: 37683589 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115447] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of the benefits of mTOR inhibition concerning adipogenesis and inflammation has recently encouraged the investigation of a new generation of mTOR inhibitors for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We investigated whether treatment with a specific mTORC1/C2 inhibitor (Ku-0063794; KU) exerted any beneficial impacts on experimentally-induced NASH in vitro and in vivo. The results indicated that KU decreases palmitic acid-induced lipotoxicity in cultivated primary hepatocytes, thus emerging as a successful candidate for testing in an in vivo NASH dietary model, which adopted the intraperitoneal KU dosing route rather than oral application due to its significantly greater bioavailability in mice. The pharmacodynamics experiments commenced with the feeding of male C57BL/6 mice with a high-fat atherogenic western-type diet (WD) for differing intervals over several weeks aimed at inducing various phases of NASH. In addition to the WD, the mice were treated with KU for 3 weeks or 4 months. Acute and chronic KU treatments were observed to be safe at the given concentrations with no toxicity indications in the mice. KU was found to alleviate NASH-related hepatotoxicity, mitochondrial and oxidative stress, and decrease the liver triglyceride content and TNF-α mRNA in at least one set of in vivo experiments. The KU modulated liver expression of selected metabolic and oxidative stress-related genes depended upon the length and severity of the disease. Although KU failed to completely reverse the histological progression of NASH in the mice, we demonstrated the complexity of mTORC1/C2 signaling regulation and suggest a stratified therapeutic management approach throughout the disease course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahak Arora
- Institute of Pharmacology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Pavlíková
- Institute of Histology and Embryology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Anthropology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Kučera
- Institute of Histology and Embryology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Kozlík
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tijana Šopin
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics of the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Vacík
- Institute of Biology and Medical Genetics of the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matej Ľupták
- Institute of Pharmacology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Matthias Duda
- Institute of Pharmacology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Slanař
- Institute of Pharmacology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Nikolina Kutinová Canová
- Institute of Pharmacology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Duan S, Qin N, Pi J, Sun P, Gao Y, Liu L, Li Z, Li Y, Shi L, Gao Q, Qiu Y, Tang S, Wang CH, Chen TY, Wang ST, Young KC, Sun HY. Antagonizing apolipoprotein J chaperone promotes proteasomal degradation of mTOR and relieves hepatic lipid deposition. Hepatology 2023; 78:1182-1199. [PMID: 37013405 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Overnutrition-induced activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) dysregulates intracellular lipid metabolism and contributes to hepatic lipid deposition. Apolipoprotein J (ApoJ) is a molecular chaperone and participates in pathogen-induced and nutrient-induced lipid accumulation. This study investigates the mechanism of ApoJ-regulated ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of mTOR, and a proof-of-concept ApoJ antagonist peptide is proposed to relieve hepatic steatosis. APPROACH AND RESULTS By using omics approaches, upregulation of ApoJ was found in high-fat medium-fed hepatocytes and livers of patients with NAFLD. Hepatic ApoJ level associated with the levels of mTOR and protein markers of autophagy and correlated positively with lipid contents in the liver of mice. Functionally, nonsecreted intracellular ApoJ bound to mTOR kinase domain and prevented mTOR ubiquitination by interfering FBW7 ubiquitin ligase interaction through its R324 residue. In vitro and in vivo gain-of-function or loss-of-function analysis further demonstrated that targeting ApoJ promotes proteasomal degradation of mTOR, restores lipophagy and lysosomal activity, thus prevents hepatic lipid deposition. Moreover, an antagonist peptide with a dissociation constant (Kd) of 2.54 µM interacted with stress-induced ApoJ and improved hepatic pathology, serum lipid and glucose homeostasis, and insulin sensitivity in mice with NAFLD or type II diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS ApoJ antagonist peptide might be a potential therapeutic against lipid-associated metabolic disorders through restoring mTOR and FBW7 interaction and facilitating ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of mTOR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangdi Duan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Nong Qin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Jiayi Pi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Pei Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Yating Gao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Lamei Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Zenghui Li
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Ya Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Liyang Shi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Qiang Gao
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Ye Qiu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Songqing Tang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Virology, Institute of Pathogen Biology and Immunology of College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, China
| | - Chun-Hsiang Wang
- Division of Gastroenterology, Tainan Municipal Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Ying Chen
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Sin-Tian Wang
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Kung-Chia Young
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Institute of Basic Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Center of Infectious Disease and Signaling Research, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Yu Sun
- Institute of Basic Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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Khalifa O, Ouararhni K, Errafii K, Alajez NM, Arredouani A. Targeted MicroRNA Profiling Reveals That Exendin-4 Modulates the Expression of Several MicroRNAs to Reduce Steatosis in HepG2 Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11606. [PMID: 37511368 PMCID: PMC10380891 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411606] [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: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Excess hepatic lipid accumulation is the hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), for which no medication is currently approved. However, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), already approved for treating type 2 diabetes, have lately emerged as possible treatments. Herein we aim to investigate how the GLP-1RA exendin-4 (Ex-4) affects the microRNA (miRNAs) expression profile using an in vitro model of steatosis. Total RNA, including miRNAs, was isolated from control, steatotic, and Ex-4-treated steatotic cells and used for probing a panel of 799 highly curated miRNAs using NanoString technology. Enrichment pathway analysis was used to find the signaling pathways and cellular functions associated with the differentially expressed miRNAs. Our data shows that Ex-4 reversed the expression of a set of miRNAs. Functional enrichment analysis highlighted many relevant signaling pathways and cellular functions enriched in the differentially expressed miRNAs, including hepatic fibrosis, insulin receptor, PPAR, Wnt/β-Catenin, VEGF, and mTOR receptor signaling pathways, fibrosis of the liver, cirrhosis of the liver, proliferation of hepatic stellate cells, diabetes mellitus, glucose metabolism disorder and proliferation of liver cells. Our findings suggest that miRNAs may play essential roles in the processes driving steatosis reduction in response to GLP-1R agonists, which warrants further functional investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olfa Khalifa
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar
| | - Khalid Ouararhni
- Genomics Core Facility, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar
| | - Khaoula Errafii
- African Genome Center, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Ben Guerir 43151, Morocco
| | - Nehad M Alajez
- Translational Cancer and Immunity Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar
- College of Health & Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar
| | - Abdelilah Arredouani
- Diabetes Research Center, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar
- College of Health & Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha P.O. Box 34110, Qatar
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Akaishi T, Yamamoto S, Abe K. 3',4'-Dihydroxyflavonol Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammatory Responses of Microglial Cells by Suppressing AKT-mTOR and NF-κB Pathways. Biol Pharm Bull 2023; 46:914-920. [PMID: 37394643 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b23-00033] [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: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Microglia-related neuroinflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The synthetic flavonoid, 3',4'-dihydroxyflavonol (3,3',4'-trihydroxyflavone), has been shown to protect brain or myocardial ischemia reperfusion-induced cell death and prevent the aggregation of amyloid-β protein, a process that causes progressive neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we explored the anti-neuroinflammatory ability of 3',4'-dihydroxyflavonol in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated MG6 microglial cells. 3',4'-Dihydroxyflavonol attenuated LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-α and nitric oxide secretion in MG6 cells. LPS-induced phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and protein kinase B (AKT) (which are all associated with the neuroinflammatory response in microglia) were attenuated by 3',4'-dihydroxyflavonol treatment. Treatment with the mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, NF-κB inhibitor, caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or AKT inhibitor, LY294002, also attenuated LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-α and nitric oxide secretion in MG6 cells. LY294002 treatment attenuated LPS-induced phosphorylation of mTOR and NF-κB in MG6 cells. Hence, our study suggests that 3',4'-dihydroxyflavonol can attenuate the neuroinflammatory response of microglial cells by suppressing the AKT-mTOR and NF-κB pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuhiro Akaishi
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Musashino University
| | - Shohei Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Musashino University
| | - Kazuho Abe
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Musashino University
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Inhibition of mTOR improves malnutrition induced hepatic metabolic dysfunction. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19948. [PMID: 36402829 PMCID: PMC9675758 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24428-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe malnutrition accounts for half-a-million deaths annually in children under the age of five. Despite improved WHO guidelines, inpatient mortality remains high and is associated with metabolic dysfunction. Previous studies suggest a correlation between hepatic metabolic dysfunction and impaired autophagy. We aimed to determine the role of mTORC1 inhibition in a murine model of malnutrition-induced hepatic dysfunction. Wild type weanling C57/B6 mice were fed a 18 or 1% protein diet for two weeks. A third low-protein group received daily rapamycin injections, an mTORC1 inhibitor. Hepatic metabolic function was assessed by histology, immunofluorescence, gene expression, metabolomics and protein levels. Low protein-fed mice manifested characteristics of severe malnutrition, including weight loss, hypoalbuminemia, hypoglycemia, hepatic steatosis and cholestasis. Low protein-fed mice had fewer mitochondria and showed signs of impaired mitochondrial function. Rapamycin prevented hepatic steatosis, restored ATP levels and fasted plasma glucose levels compared to untreated mice. This correlated with increased content of LC3-II, and decreased content mitochondrial damage marker, PINK1. We demonstrate that hepatic steatosis and disturbed mitochondrial function in a murine model of severe malnutrition can be partially prevented through inhibition of mTORC1. These findings suggest that stimulation of autophagy could be a novel approach to improve metabolic function in severely malnourished children.
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Tsuneki H, Maeda T, Takata S, Sugiyama M, Otsuka K, Ishizuka H, Onogi Y, Tokai E, Koshida C, Kon K, Takasaki I, Hamashima T, Sasahara M, Rudich A, Koya D, Sakurai T, Yanagisawa M, Yamanaka A, Wada T, Sasaoka T. Hypothalamic orexin prevents non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma in obesity. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111497. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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