Rilpivirine attenuates liver fibrosis through selective STAT1-mediated apoptosis in hepatic stellate cells.

Martí-Rodrigo, Alberto; Alegre, Fernando; Moragrega, Ángela B; García-García, Francisco; Martí-Rodrigo, Pablo; Fernández-Iglesias, Anabel; Gracia-Sancho, Jordi; Apostolova, Nadezda; Esplugues, Juan V; Blas-García, Ana (2020). Rilpivirine attenuates liver fibrosis through selective STAT1-mediated apoptosis in hepatic stellate cells. Gut, 69(5), pp. 920-932. BMJ Publishing Group 10.1136/gutjnl-2019-318372

[img] Text
gutjnl-2019-318372.full.pdf - Published Version
Restricted to registered users only
Available under License Publisher holds Copyright.

Download (10MB) | Request a copy

OBJECTIVE

Liver fibrosis constitutes a major health problem worldwide due to its rapidly increasing prevalence and the lack of specific and effective treatments. Growing evidence suggests that signalling through cytokine-activated Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathways regulates liver fibrosis and regeneration. Rilpivirine (RPV) is a widely used anti-HIV drug not reported to produce hepatotoxicity. We aimed to describe the potential hepatoprotective effects of RPV in different models of chronic liver injury, focusing on JAK-STAT signalling regulation.

DESIGN

The effects of RPV on hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrogenesis were studied in a nutritional mouse model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, carbon tetrachloride-induced fibrosis and bile duct ligation-induced fibrosis. Primary human hepatic stellate cells (hHSC) and human cell lines LX-2 and Hep3B were used to investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms.

RESULTS

RPV exerted a clear anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic effect in all the in vivo models of liver injury employed, and enhanced STAT3-dependent proliferation in hepatocytes and apoptosis in HSC through selective STAT1 activation. These results were reproduced in vitro; RPV undermined STAT3 activation and triggered STAT1-mediated pathways and apoptosis in HSC. Interestingly, this selective pro-apoptotic effect completely disappeared when STAT1 was silenced. Conditioned medium experiments showed that HSC apoptosis activated STAT3 in hepatocytes in an interleukin-6-dependent mechanism.

CONCLUSION

RPV ameliorates liver fibrosis through selective STAT1-dependent induction of apoptosis in HSC, which exert paracrinal effects in hepatocytes, thus promoting liver regeneration. RPV's actions may represent an effective strategy to treat chronic liver diseases of different aetiologies and help identify novel therapeutic targets.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DBMR Forschung Mu35 > Forschungsgruppe Hepatologie
04 Faculty of Medicine > Pre-clinic Human Medicine > BioMedical Research (DBMR) > DBMR Forschung Mu35 > Forschungsgruppe Hepatologie

04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Gastro-intestinal, Liver and Lung Disorders (DMLL) > Clinic of Visceral Surgery and Medicine

UniBE Contributor:

Gracia Sancho, Jorge Sergio

Subjects:

600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0017-5749

Publisher:

BMJ Publishing Group

Language:

English

Submitter:

Thi Thao Anh Pham

Date Deposited:

20 Jan 2020 13:41

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:34

Publisher DOI:

10.1136/gutjnl-2019-318372

PubMed ID:

31530714

Uncontrolled Keywords:

STAT1 antifibrotic therapy drug repurposing hepatic regeneration hepatic stellate cells rilpivirine

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.137326

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/137326

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback