Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0239946 (liver fibrosis)
 8,268 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The first part of this review describes the chemistry, the occurrence and the metabolism of extracellular connective tissue components in the liver. The normal liver contains typical connective tissue proteins (collagens, structural glycoproteins and proteoglycans) not only in vessel walls, perivascular areas and in the capsule, but they occur also in small amounts in the parenchyma, mainly in the space of Disse along the sinusoidal walls. The "interstitial" collagens type I and III represent the major amount of collagen in the normal as well as in fibrotic liver, showing a relative increase of type III in fibrosis. Basement membrane collagens type IV and V as well as the cysteine-rich collagenous components "7 S collagen" and "short chain collagen" have been shown to occur in extracts prepared after limited pepsin digestion. In the normal liver, basement membrane collagen can hardly be detected within the parenchyma by immunofluorescence microscopy; increased occurrence, however, can be shown along the sinusoids even in early stages of chronic liver diseases. The glycoprotein fibronectin was shown to be distributed very similarly to collagens type I and III, whereas the basement membrane specific glycoprotein laminin is restricted to vessel walls and the epithelial layer of bile ductuli in the normal liver but is also found in the parenchyma in fibrosis. Occurrence of proteoglycans is increased in fibrosis: a change in the composition of glycosaminoglycans from mainly heparan sulfate in the normal to dermatan- and chondroitin sulfate in the fibrotic liver was observed. It is not yet clear which cell type is mainly responsible for increased connective tissue synthesis in fibrosis. The occurrence of cells resembling smooth muscle cells ("myofibroblasts") in connective tissue septa of fibrotic livers and the fact that similar cells which actively synthesize collagen grow from explants of fibrotic livers may indicate the significance of this cell type in the process of liver fibrosis.
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PMID:Connective tissue components of the normal and fibrotic liver. I. Structure, local distribution and metabolism of connective tissue components in the normal liver and changes in chronic liver diseases. 702 93

The key pathogenic event in liver fibrosis is the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC). Consequently, new antifibrotic therapies are directed toward an inhibition of HSC activities. The aim of the present study was to develop a drug carrier to HSC, which would allow cell-specific delivery of antifibrotic drugs thus enhancing their effectiveness in vivo. We modified human serum albumin (HSA) with 10 cyclic peptide moieties recognizing collagen type VI receptors (C*GRGDSPC*, in which C* denotes the cyclizing cysteine residues) yielding pCVI-HSA. In vivo experiments showed preferential distribution of pCVI-HSA to both fibrotic and normal rat livers (respectively, 62 +/- 6 and 75 +/- 16% of the dose at 10 min after intravenous injection). Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that pCVI-HSA predominantly bound to HSC in fibrotic livers (73 +/- 14%). In contrast, endothelial cells contributed mostly to the total liver accumulation in normal rats. In vitro studies showed that pCVI-HSA specifically bound to rat HSC, in particular to the activated cells, and showed internalization of pCVI-HSA by these cells. In conclusion, pCVI-HSA may be applied as a carrier to deliver antifibrotic agents to HSC, which may strongly enhance the effectiveness and tissue selectivity of these drugs. This approach has the additional benefit that such carriers may block receptors that play a putative role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis.
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PMID:Successful targeting to rat hepatic stellate cells using albumin modified with cyclic peptides that recognize the collagen type VI receptor. 1077 70

Redox-regulated processes are important elements in various cellular functions. Reducing agents, such as N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), are known to regulate signal transduction and cell growth through their radical scavenging action. However, recent studies have shown that reactive oxygen species are not always involved in ligand-stimulated intracellular signaling. Here, we report a novel mechanism by which NAC blocks platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced signaling pathways in hepatic stellate cells, a fibrogenic player in the liver. Unlike in vascular smooth muscle cells, we found that reducing agents, including NAC, triggered extracellular proteolysis of PDGF receptor-beta, leading to desensitization of hepatic stellate cells toward PDGF-BB. This effect was mediated by secreted mature cathepsin B. In addition, type II transforming growth factor-beta receptor was also down-regulated. Furthermore, these events seemed to cause a dramatic improvement of rat liver fibrosis. These results indicated that redox processes impact the cell's response to growth factors by regulating the turnover of growth factor receptors and that "redox therapy" is promising for fibrosis-related disease.
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PMID:Regulation of cell growth by redox-mediated extracellular proteolysis of platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta. 1134 54

Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) has been identified as a critical step in hepatic fibrogenesis and is regulated by several factors including cytokines and oxidative stress. However, the molecular mechanism for HSC inactivation is not well understood. We investigated an N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC)-mediated signaling pathway involved in HSC inactivation. NAC, which acting through its reducing activity, induced cell arrest at G1 via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase (MEK)/MAPK pathway in a Ras-independent manner. The sustained activation of this extracellular signal-regulated kinase induced the expression of p21(Cip1/WAF1), a cell cycle-dependent kinase inhibitor, and mediated cell growth arrest through the Sp1 transcription activator-dependent mechanism. These effects of NAC were all reversed by treatment of HSC with MEK inhibitor PD98059 followed by culturing HSC on type I collagen-coated flasks. The collagen-mediated suppression of NAC-induced arrest may be due to an overriding of the cell cycle arrest through an acceleration of integrin-induced cell growth. NAC action is actually dependent on modulating the redox states of cysteine residues of target proteins such as Raf-1, MEK, and ERK. In conclusion, an understanding of the NAC signaling pathway in HSC should provide the theoretical basis for clinical approaches using antioxidant therapies in liver fibrosis.
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PMID:N-acetylcysteine induces cell cycle arrest in hepatic stellate cells through its reducing activity. 1150 53

Activation of hepatic stellate cells is considered to be the main step in the development of liver fibrosis, which is characterized by the transition of quiescent vitamin-A-rich cells to proliferative, fibrogenic and contractile myofibroblasts. The identification of regulatory genes during early cell activation and transdifferentiation is essential to extend our knowledge of hepatic fibrogenesis. In liver, the gene CSRP2 is exclusively expressed by stellate cells, whereas no transcripts are detectable in hepatocytes, sinusoidal endothelial cells or Kupffer cells. The early activation of stellate cells induced by platelet-derived growth factor is accompanied by an enhanced expression of CSRP2. During later stages of transdifferentiation, the expression of CSRP2 in these cells is suppressed in vitro and in vivo. The CSRP2-encoded cysteine- and glycine-rich double-LIM-domain protein (CRP)2 is proposed to function as a molecular adapter, arranging two or more as yet unidentified protein constituents into a macromolecular complex. To identify these proteins and assign a cellular function to CRP2, a human cDNA library was screened with full-length CRP2 as bait in a yeast two-hybrid screen. The protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 ('PIAS1') was shown to associate selectively with the C-terminal LIM domain of CRP2. Physical interaction of both proteins in the cellular environment was confirmed by co-localization experiments with confocal laser scanning microscopy and co-immunoprecipitation analysis. These results establish CRP2 as a potential new factor in the JAK/STAT-signalling pathway and suggest that the suppression of CSRP2 might be a prerequisite for the myofibroblastic transition of hepatic stellate cells.
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PMID:LIM-domain protein cysteine- and glycine-rich protein 2 (CRP2) is a novel marker of hepatic stellate cells and binding partner of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT1. 1167 22

Recent studies showed that the function of some amino acids is not only nutritional but also pharmacological. However, the effects of amino acids on liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell (HSC) remain unclear. In this research, as a result of screening of amino acids using liver fibrosis induced by DMN administration, L-cysteine was selected as a suppressor of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, the number of activated HSCs, which increased in the fibrotic liver after DMN administration, was decreased in L-cysteine-fed rats. Treatment of freshly isolated HSCs with L-cysteine resulted in inhibition of the increase in smooth muscle alpha-actin (alphaSMA) expression by HSCs and BrdU incorporation into the activated HSCs. These findings suggest that L-cysteine is effective against liver fibrosis. The mechanism of inhibition of fibrosis in the liver is surmized to be direct inhibition of activated HSC proliferation and HSC transformation by L-cysteine.
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PMID:L-cysteine administration prevents liver fibrosis by suppressing hepatic stellate cell proliferation and activation. 1273 1

Whereas ch/ch wild-type mice and ch/14CoS heterozygotes are viable, 14CoS/14CoS mice homozygous for a 3800 kb deletion on chromosome 7 die during the first day postpartum. Death is caused by disruption of the fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (Fah) gene; absence of FAH, final enzyme in the tyrosine catabolism pathway, leads to accumulation of reactive electrophilic intermediates. In this study, we kept 14CoS/14CoS mice alive for 60 d with oral 2-(2-nitro-4-trifluoromethyl-benzyol)-1,3-cyclohexanedione (NTBC), an inhibitor of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase, second enzyme in the tyrosine catabolic pathway. The 70% of NTBC-treated 14CoS/14CoS mice that survived 60 d showed poor growth and developed corneal opacities, compared with ch/14CoS littermates; NTBC-rescued Fah(-/-) knockout mice did not show growth retardation or ocular toxicity. NTBC-rescued 14CoS/14CoS mice also exhibited a striking oxidative stress response in liver and kidney, as measured by lower GSH levels and mRNA induction of four genes: glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic (Gclc) and modifier (Gclm) subunits, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (Nqo1), and heme oxygenase-1 (Hmox1). Withdrawal of NTBC for 24-48 h from rescued adult 14CoS/14CoS mice resulted in severe apoptosis of the liver, detected histologically and by cytochrome c release from the mitochondria, increased caspase 3-like activity, and further decreases in GSH content. In kidney, proximal tubular epithelial cells were abnormal. Human hereditary tyrosinemia type I (HT1), caused by mutations in the FAH gene, is an autosomal recessive disorder in which the patient usually dies of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis during early childhood; NTBC treatment is known to prolong HT1 children's lives-although liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, hepatocarcinoma, and corneal opacities sometimes occur. The mouse data in the present study are consistent with the possibility that endogenous oxidative stress-induced apoptosis may be the underlying cause of liver pathology seen in NTBC-treated HT1 patients.
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PMID:Pharmacological rescue of the 14CoS/14CoS mouse: hepatocyte apoptosis is likely caused by endogenous oxidative stress. 1289 38

The interrelated signaling via TGF-beta1 and reactive oxygen species has a profound impact on fibrogenesis and is therefore selected as target for antifibrotic therapies. This prompted us to investigate the influence of the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine on TGF-beta signaling in culture-activated hepatic stellate cells, the most relevant pro-fibrogenic cell type in liver. Dissection of the molecular steps involved in TGF-beta signaling revealed that N-acetyl-L-cysteine dose-dependently abrogated the induction of the TGF-beta1 signaling reporter gene activation, the phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3, and the up-regulation of Smad7 mRNA. By means of Western blot analysis and cross-linking experiments, it was demonstrated that these effects are based on disintegration of TGF-beta1 and the TGF-beta receptor endoglin, as well as a reduced ligand binding capacity of betaglycan. We conclude that N-acetyl-L-cysteine is a specific inhibitor of TGF-beta signaling targeting different components of the TGF-beta signaling machinery. In conclusion, these findings suggest that this non-toxic aminothiol downregulates TGF-beta signal transduction thereby mediating beneficial effects on experimental liver fibrosis characterized by TGF-beta hyperactivity.
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PMID:N-acetyl-L-cysteine suppresses TGF-beta signaling at distinct molecular steps: the biochemical and biological efficacy of a multifunctional, antifibrotic drug. 1609 50

Oxidative stress is important in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis through its induction of hepatic stellate cell (HSC) proliferation and enhancement of collagen synthesis. Reactive oxygen species have been found to be essential second messengers in the signaling of both major fibrotic growth factors, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), in cultured HSC and liver fibrosis. The non-toxic aminothiol N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) inhibits cellular activation and attenuates experimental fibrosis in liver. Prior reports show that NAC is capable of reducing the effects of TGF-beta in biological systems, in cultured endothelial cells, and HSC through its direct reducing activity upon TGF-beta molecules. We here analyzed the effects of NAC on PDGF integrity, receptor binding, and downstream signaling in culture-activated HSC. We found that NAC dose-dependently induces disintegration of PDGF in vitro. However, even high doses (>20mM) were not sufficient to prevent the phosphorylation of the PDGF receptor type beta, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, or protein kinase B (PKB/Akt). Therefore, we conclude that the PDGF monomer is still active. The described antifibrotic effects are therefore mainly attributable to the structural impairment of TGF-beta signaling components reported previously.
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PMID:Disruption of intermolecular disulfide bonds in PDGF-BB dimers by N-acetyl-L-cysteine does not prevent PDGF signaling in cultured hepatic stellate cells. 1628 37

Activation of hepatic stellate cells during liver fibrosis is a major event facilitating an increase in extracellular matrix deposition. The up-regulation of smooth muscle alpha-actin and collagen type I is indicative of the activation process. The involvement of cysteine cathepsins, a class of lysosomal cysteine proteases, has not been studied in conjunction with the activation process of hepatic stellate cells. Here we report a nuclear cysteine protease activity partially attributed to cathepsin F, which co-localizes with nuclear speckles. This activity can be regulated by treatment with retinol/palmitic acid, known to reduce the hepatic stellate cell activation. The treatment for 48 h leads to a decrease in activity, which is coupled to an increase in cystatin B and C transcripts. Cystatin B knockdown experiments during the same treatment confirm the regulation of the nuclear activity by cystatin B. We demonstrate further that the inhibition of the nuclear activity by E-64d, a cysteine protease inhibitor, results in a differential regulation of smooth muscle alpha-actin and collagen type I transcripts. On the other hand, cathepsin F small interfering RNA transfection leads to a decrease in nuclear activity and a transcriptional down-regulation of both activation markers. These findings indicate a possible link between nuclear cathepsin F activity and the transcriptional regulation of hepatic stellate cell activation markers.
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PMID:Nuclear cathepsin F regulates activation markers in rat hepatic stellate cells. 1866 30


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