Determination of the key innate genes related to individual variation in carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity using a pre-biopsy procedure

FGL1 and FGL2: emerging regulators of liver health and disease

Liver disease is a complex group of diseases with high morbidity and mortality rates, emerging as a major global health concern. Recent studies have highlighted the involvement of fibrinogen-like proteins, specifically fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1) and fibrinogen-like protein 2 (FGL2), in the regulation of various liver diseases. FGL1 plays a crucial role in promoting hepatocyte growth, regulating lipid metabolism, and influencing the tumor microenvironment (TME), contributing significantly to liver repair, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and liver cancer. On the other hand, FGL2 is a multifunctional protein known for its role in modulating prothrombin activity and inducing immune tolerance, impacting viral hepatitis, liver fibrosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and liver transplantation. Understanding the functions and mechanisms of fibrinogen-like proteins is essential for the development of effective therapeutic approaches for liver diseases. Additionally, FGL1 has demonstrated potential as a disease biomarker in radiation and drug-induced liver injury as well as HCC, while FGL2 shows promise as a biomarker in viral hepatitis and liver transplantation. The expression levels of these molecules offer exciting prospects for disease assessment. This review provides an overview of the structure and roles of FGL1 and FGL2 in different liver conditions, emphasizing the intricate molecular regulatory processes and advancements in targeted therapies. Furthermore, it explores the potential benefits and challenges of targeting FGL1 and FGL2 for liver disease treatment and the prospects of fibrinogen-like proteins as biomarkers for liver disease, offering insights for future research in this field.

Ccrn4l as a pre-dose marker for prediction of cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity susceptibility

Clinical cisplatin use is often limited by its drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Particularly, individual differences in susceptibility to DILI can cause life-threatening medical conditions. This study aimed to uncover the inherent genetic factors determining individual variations in hepatotoxicity susceptibility. Rats were subjected to liver biopsy and a 3-week postoperative recovery period before cisplatin administration. At 2 days post-treatment with cisplatin, the rats exhibited histopathological and serum biochemical alterations in the liver, and changes in hydrogen peroxide and cytochrome P450-2E1 levels. Based on these results of liver-related biochemical markers, 32 rats were grouped into the susceptible (top five) and resistant (bottom five) groups. Using RNA-sequencing, we compared gene expressions in the liver pre-biopsied from these two groups before cisplatin treatment and found 161 differently expressed genes between the Susceptible and Resistant groups. Among them, the clock-controlled Ccrn4l responsible for 'rhythmic process' was identified as a common gene downregulated inherently prior to drug exposure in both cisplatin- and acetaminophen-sensitive animals. Additionally, low Ccrn4l levels before cisplatin treatment in the Susceptible group were maintained even after treatment, with decreased antioxidants, increased nitration, and apoptosis. The relationship of Ccrn4l with catalase and mitochondrial RNAs in the liver was confirmed by correlation of their hepatic levels among individuals and similar patterns of circadian variation in their mRNA expression. Remarkably, Ccrn4l knockdown promoted cisplatin-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in WB-F344 cells with antioxidant catalase and apoptosis-related Bax changes. Inherent individual hepatic Ccrn4l level might be a novel factor affecting cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity susceptibility, possibly through regulation of mitochondrial and antioxidant functions.

Expression Levels of GABA-A Receptor Subunit Alpha 3, Gabra3 and Lipoprotein Lipase, Lpl Are Associated with the Susceptibility to Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is the serious and fatal drug-associated adverse effect, but its incidence is very low and individual variation in severity is substantial. Acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury accounts for >50% of reported DILI cases but little is known for the cause of individual variations in the severity. Intrinsic genetic variation is considered a key element but the identity of the genes was not well-established. Here, pre-biopsy method and microarray technique was applied to uncover the key genes for APAP-induced liver injury in mice, and a cause and effect experiment employing quantitative real-time PCR was conducted to confirm the correlation between the uncovered genes and APAP-induced hepatotoxicity. We identified the innately and differentially expressed genes of mice susceptible to APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in the pre-biopsied liver tissue before APAP treatment through microarray analysis of the global gene expression profiles (Affymetrix GeneChip® Mouse Gene 1.0 ST for 28,853 genes). Expression of 16 genes including Gdap10, Lpl, Gabra3 and Ccrn4l were significantly different (t-test: FDR <10%) more than 1.5 fold in the susceptible animals than resistant. To confirm the association with the susceptibility to APAP-induced hepatotoxicity, another set of animals were measured for the expression level of selected 4 genes (higher two and lower two genes) in the liver pre-biopsy and their sensitivity to APAP-induced hepatotoxicity was evaluated by post hoc. Notably, the expressions of Gabra3 and Lpl were significantly correlated with the severity of liver injury (p<0.05) demonstrating that these genes may be linked to the susceptibility to APAP-induced hepatotoxicity.

Prediction of drug-induced liver injury using keratinocytes

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is one of the most common adverse drug reactions. DILI is often accompanied by skin reactions, including rash and pruritus. However, it is still unknown whether DILI-associated genes such as S100 calcium-binding protein A and interleukin (IL)-1β are involved in drug-induced skin toxicity. In the present study, most of the tested hepatotoxic drugs such as pioglitazone and diclofenac induced DILI-associated genes in human and mouse keratinocytes. Keratinocytes of mice at higher risk for DILI exhibited an increased IL-1β basal expression. They also showed a higher inducibility of IL-1β when treated by pioglitazone. Mice at higher risk for DILI showed even higher sums of DILI-associated gene basal expression levels and induction rates in keratinocytes. Our data suggest that DILI-associated genes might be involved in the onset and progression of drug-induced skin toxicity. Furthermore, we might be able to identify individuals at higher risk of developing DILI less invasively by examining gene expression patterns in keratinocytes. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effect of nine diets on mRNAs of phase-II conjugation enzymes in livers of mice

1. Phase-II enzymes are important in metabolizing many xenobiotics including prescription drugs and chemical carcinogens. Whereas it is known that diet can alter the expression of phase-II conjugation enzymes, the previous studies are limited in using only two or three diets and examining only a few enzymes. 2. Adult male C57BL6 mice were fed one of nine diets for 3 weeks. Of the 87 genes encoding major hepatic phase-II enzymes, approximately one-half (43) were altered by at least one diet. Diet restriction altered the hepatic expression of the most genes encoding phase-II enzymes (27), followed by lab chow (15), atherogenic diet (13), high-fat diet (10), western diet (7), high-fructose diet (5), and essential fatty acid-deficient diet (3), whereas the low n-3 fatty acid diet had no effect on the hepatic expression of these phase-II enzymes. 3. This comprehensive study provides detailed information on which conjugation enzymes are changed by these diets, and these data can be used to further investigate the mechanism for these changes in messenger RNAs, and whether these changes result in alterations in enzyme activity and drug action.

The Protective Properties of the Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) against Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats Mediated by Anti-Apoptotic and Upregulation of Antioxidant Genes Expression Effects

The strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) has been extensively used to treat a wide range of ailments in many cultures. The present study was aimed at evaluating the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry juice on experimentally induced liver injury in rats. To this end, rats were introperitoneally injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) with or without strawberry juice supplementation for 12 weeks and the hepatoprotective effect of strawberry was assessed by measuring serum liver enzyme markers, hepatic tissue redox status and apoptotic markers with various techniques including biochemistry, ELISA, quantitative PCR assays and histochemistry. The hepatoprotective effect of the strawberry was evident by preventing CCl₄-induced increase in liver enzymes levels. Determination of oxidative balance showed that strawberry treatment significantly blunted CCl₄-induced increase in oxidative stress markers and decrease in enzymatic and non-enzymatic molecules in hepatic tissue. Furthermore, strawberry supplementation enhanced the anti-apoptotic protein, Bcl-2, and restrained the pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and caspase-3 with a marked reduction in collagen areas in hepatic tissue. These findings demonstrated that strawberry (F. ananassa) juice possessed antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic properties, probably mediated by the presence of polyphenols and flavonoids compounds.

Predose and Postdose Blood Gene Expression Profiles Identify the Individuals Susceptible to Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury in Rats

The extent of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) can vary greatly between different individuals. Thus, it is crucial to identify susceptible population to DILI. The aim of this study was to determine whether transcriptomics analysis of predose and postdose rat blood would allow prediction of susceptible individuals to DILI using the widely applied analgesic acetaminophen (APAP) as a model drug. Based on ranking in alanine aminotransferase levels, five most susceptible and five most resistant rats were identified as two sub-groups after APAP treatment. Predose and postdose gene expression profiles of blood samples from these rats were determined by microarray analysis. The expression of 158 genes innately differed in the susceptible rats from the resistant rats in predose data. In order to identify more reliable biomarkers related to drug responses for detecting individuals susceptibility to APAP-induced liver injury (AILI), the changes of these genes' expression posterior to APAP treatment were detected. Through the further screening method based on the trends of gene expression between the two sub-groups before and after drug treatment, 10 genes were identified as potential predose biomarkers to distinguish between the susceptible and resistant rats. Among them, four genes, Incenp, Rpgrip1, Sbf1, and Mmp12, were found to be reproducibly in real-time PCR with an independent set of animals. They were all innately higher expressed in resistant rats to AILI, which are closely related to cell proliferation and tissue repair functions. It indicated that rats with higher ability of cell proliferation and tissue repair prior to drug treatment might be more resistant to AILI. In this study, we demonstrated that combination of predose and postdose gene expression profiles in blood might identify the drug related inter-individual variation in DILI, which is a novel and important methodology for identifying susceptible population to DILI.

Systemic treatment of acute liver failure with adipose derived stem cells

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The definitive treatment for liver failure is, currently, liver transplantation. Research into other possible treatments, focused on achieving regeneration of the liver parenchyma, have led to the development of methods to generate hepatocytes from stem cells. In our study, we transplant allogenic adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), not previously differentiated to hepatocytes, to treat acute liver failure induced by intraperitoneal administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in a Sprague-Dawley rat model.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The ASCs were delivered via the tail vein, having previously been labeled with PKH26, a fluorescent membrane marker. Two control groups were established, Group 1(n = 15) consisting of olive oil (5 mL/kg) and Group 2(n = 15): 1 × 10(6) PKH26-labeled ASCs. Further, two study groups, Group 3(n = 30): CCl4 dissolved in olive oil and Group 4(n = 30): CCl4 dissolved in olive oil and 1 × 10(6) PKH26-labeled ASCs completed the experimental design.

RESULTS

Blood samples were analyzed, finding AST and ALT levels significantly higher in treatment over control groups at 24 and 48 hours. The mortality rates were statistically different between control groups and Group 3 (Group 1-3 p = .04, Group 2-3 p = .04) and between Groups 3 and 4 (p = .02). Examining the liver parenchyma, a significantly higher number of ASCs were observed in Group 4 than in Group 2 at all time points (p = .00).

CONCLUSIONS

The intravenous injection of allogenic ASCs in this model of CCl4-induced liver failure reduced the mortality in treated animals. ASCs injected in the rat tail vein were found in the liver in animals with induced acute liver failure.

The potential protective effect of Physalis peruviana L. against carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity in rats is mediated by suppression of oxidative stress and downregulation of MMP-9 expression

The active constituent profile in Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) juice was determined by GC-MS. Quercetin and kaempferol were active components in the juice. In this study we have evaluated its potential protective effect on hepatic injury and fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Twenty-eight rats divided into 4 groups: Group I served as control group, and Group II received weekly i.p. injection of 2 mL CCl4/kg bwt for 12 weeks. Group III were supplemented with Physalis juice via the drinking water. The animals of Group IV received Physalis juice as Group III and also were intraperitoneally injected weekly with 2 mL CCl4/kg bwt for 12 weeks. Hepatoprotective effect was evaluated by improvement in liver enzymes serum levels, reduction in collagen areas, downregulation in expression of the fibrotic marker MMP-9, reduction in the peroxidative marker malonaldehyde and the inflammatory marker nitric oxide, and restoration of the activity of antioxidant enzymatic and nonenzymatic systems, namely, glutathione content, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities. The results show that the potential hepatoprotective effects of Physalis peruviana may be due to physalis acts by promotion of processes that restore hepatolobular architecture and through the inhibition of oxidative stress pathway.

Toxicogenomic analysis of the gene expression changes in rat liver after a 28-day oral Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside exposure

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside (GTW), which is an extract derived from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f., has been used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other immune diseases in China. However, its potential hepatotoxicity has not been completely investigated.

THE AIM OF THE STUDY

The aim of the study was to determine the hepatotoxicity of GTW in Wistar rats and to investigate the underlying cellular mechanism further by microarray analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Doses of GTW at 60, 100 and 120mg/kg/day were administered by oral gavage for subchronic toxicity in Wistar rats. Changes in the hepatic gene expression were identified with oligonucleotide microarrays at the 100-mg/kg/day dose level to study the hepatotoxic mechanism of GTW.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

A number of changes in the body weight and food consumption, absolute and relative liver weight, biochemical analysis and histopathology were observed after the subacute exposure to GTW, and a dose-dependent hepatotoxicity was observed. A total of 1312 genes were found to be significantly altered (2-fold, P<0.05), including 582 up-regulated genes and 730 down-regulated genes. According to our biological pathway analysis, the GTW resulted in aberrant gene expression in metabolic pathways and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway and cellular stress. Real-time PCR analyses of several genes verified these results. Consequently, our gene expression microarray study will be useful for future GTW hepatotoxicity studies.

Transcriptional profiling to identify biomarkers of disease and drug response

The discovery, biological qualification and analytical validation of genomic biomarkers requires extensive collaborations between individuals with expertise in biology, statistics, bioinformatics, chemistry, clinical medicine, regulatory science and so on. For clinical utility, blood-borne biomarkers (e.g., mRNA and miRNA) of organ damage, drug toxicity and/or response would be preferred to those that are tissue based. Currently used biomarkers such as serum creatinine (indicating renal dysfunction) denote organ damage whether caused by disease, physical injury or drugs. Therefore, it is anticipated that studies of disease will discover biomarkers that can also be used to identify drug-induced injury and vice versa. This article describes transcriptomic blood-borne biomarkers that have been reported to be connected with disease and drug toxicity. Much more qualification and validation needs to be carried out before many of these biomarkers can prove useful. Discussed here are some of the lessons learned and roadblocks to success.