Association of LEPR polymorphisms with predisposition and inflammatory response in anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury: A pilot prospective investigation in Western Chinese Han population

Magnesium Isoglycyrrhizinate Attenuates Anti-Tuberculosis Drug-Induced Liver Injury by Enhancing Intestinal Barrier Function and Inhibiting the LPS/TLRs/NF-κB Signaling Pathway in Mice

Liver injury caused by first-line anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drugs accounts for a high proportion of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), and gut microbiota and intestinal barrier integrity have been shown to be involved in the development of DILI. Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG) is the fourth-generation glycyrrhizic acid preparation, which is well documented to be effective against anti-TB DILI, but the underlying mechanism is largely unclear. In the present study, we established a BALB/c mice animal model of the HRZE regimen (39 mg/kg isoniazid (H), 77 mg/kg rifampicin (R), 195 mg/kg pyrazinamide (Z), and 156 mg/kg ethambutol (E))-induced liver injury to investigate the protective effect of MgIG against anti-TB DILI and underlying mechanisms. The results demonstrated that intraperitoneal injection of MgIG (40 mg/kg) significantly ameliorated HRZE-induced liver injury by reducing alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and improved liver pathological changes. Species composition analysis of gut microbiota showed that Lactobacillus was the only probiotic that was down-regulated by HRZE and recovered by MgIG. In addition, MgIG attenuated HRZE-induced intestinal pathology, significantly decreased HRZE-induced intestinal permeability by increasing the protein expression of tight junction protein 1 (ZO-1) and occludin, decreased HRZE-induced high lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels, and further markedly attenuated mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, TLR2, TLR4, and NF-κB. Supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus JYLR-005 (>109 CFU/day/mouse) alleviated HRZE-induced liver injury and inflammation in mice. In summary, MgIG effectively ameliorated HRZE-induced liver injury by restoring the abundance of Lactobacillus, enhancing intestinal barrier function, and further inhibiting the activation of the LPS/TLRs/NF-κB signaling pathway. Regulating gut microbiota and promoting the integrity of intestinal barrier function may become a new direction for the prevention and treatment of anti-TB DILI.

Multi-Omics Analysis of the Gut-Liver Axis Reveals the Mechanism of Liver Injury in Colitis Mice

Liver injury is a common complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanisms of liver injury development are not clear in IBD patients. Gut microbiota is thought to be engaged in IBD pathogenesis. Here, by an integrated analysis of host transcriptome and colonic microbiome, we have attempted to reveal the mechanism of liver injury in colitis mice. In this study, dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) -induced mice colitis model was constructed. Liver transcriptome showed significant up- and down-regulation of pathways linked to immune response and lipid metabolism, respectively. Whilst the colon transcriptome exhibited dramatic alterations in immune response and pathways associated with cell growth and death. The microbiota of DSS-treated mice underwent strong transitions. Correlation analyses identified genes associated with liver and colon injury, whose expression was associated with the abundance of liver and gut health-related bacteria. Collectively, the results indicate that the liver injury in colitis mice may be related to the intestinal dysbiosis and host-microbiota interactions. These findings may provide new insights for identifying potential targets for the treatment of IBD and its induced liver injury.

Relationship between xanthine oxidase gene polymorphisms and anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury in a Chinese population

This study was designed to investigate the association of the xanthine oxidase (XO) polymorphisms and susceptibility to anti-tuberculosis drug-induced liver injury (ATDILI) in Chinese population. A total of 183 tuberculosis patients were enrolled. Patients with ATDILI were classified as cases and those without ATDILI were classified as controls. Genotyping for XO polymorphisms was determined by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. The allele frequencies and genotype distribution was analyzed using the Chi square test to analyze the association between the gene polymorphisms and ATDILI. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the risk factors of ATDILI. A total of 21 patients were developed liver injury during anti-tuberculosis treatment in this study, with an incidence of 11.48%. In genotype analysis, no significant difference was observed in the alleles and genotypes frequencies of the six SNPs between two groups (P > 0.05). In haplotype analysis, carriers with GGGATA (rs1884725- rs2295475 -rs45523133- rs206812- rs206813- rs7575607) haplotype had a significantly higher risk of ATDILI compared with other haplotypes (OR = 2.445, 95%CI: 1.058-5.652, P < 0.05). This study suggested that the haplotype GGGATA constructed with rs206812 and rs7575607 mutant alleles might contribute to ATDILI susceptibility in a Chinese population.

Contrasting association of Leptin receptor polymorphisms and haplotypes with polycystic ovary syndrome in Bahraini and Tunisian women: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

The present study examined the contribution of ethnicity to the association of leptin receptor gene (LEPR) gene variants with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Tunisian and Bahraini Arabic-speaking women.

METHODS

Subjects consisted of 320 women with PCOS, and 446 eumenorrhic women from Tunisia, and 242 women with PCOS and 238 controls from Bahrain. Genotyping of (exonic) rs1137100 and rs1137101 and (intronic) rs2025804 LEPR variants was done by allelic exclusion.

RESULTS

The minor allele frequencies (MAFs) of rs1137100 and rs1137101 were significantly different between PCOS cases and control women from Bahrain but not Tunisia, and LEPR rs1137101 was associated with increased PCOS susceptibility only in Bahraini subjects. Furthermore, rs1137100 was associated with decreased PCOS risk among Bahrainis under codominant and recessive models; rs1137100 was negatively associated with PCOS in Tunisians after controlling for testosterone. In addition, rs2025804 was associated with increased PCOS risk among Tunisian but not Bahraini women, after adjusting for key covariates. Negative correlation was seen between rs1137101 and triglycerides in Tunisians, while homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and insulin correlated with rs2025804 and rs1137101 among Bahraini subjects, and rs1137101 correlated with estradiol and prolactin. Taking TAG haplotype as common, positive association of TAA and negative association of TGG haplotype with PCOS was seen among Bahraini women; no three-locus PCOS-associated haplotypes were found in Tunisians.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study is the first to demonstrate the contribution of ethnicity to the association of LEPR gene variants with PCOS, thereby highlighting the significance of controlling for ethnicity in gene association investigations.