Host Regulators of Liver Fibrosis During Human Schistosomiasis.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Kamdem SD
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6279936 | biostudies-literature | 2018
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Host Regulators of Liver Fibrosis During Human Schistosomiasis.
Kamdem Severin Donald SD Moyou-Somo Roger R Brombacher Frank F Nono Justin Komguep JK
Frontiers in immunology 20181128
Liver fibrosis is a wound-healing process purposely aimed at restoring organ integrity after severe injury caused by autoimmune reactions, mechanical stress or infections. The uncontrolled solicitation of this process is pathogenic and a pathognomonic feature of diseases like hepatosplenic schistosomiasis where exacerbated liver fibrosis is centrally positioned among the drivers of the disease morbidity and mortality. Intriguingly, however, liver fibrosis occurs and progresses dissimilarly in sc ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundArtesunate (ART) has been reported to have an antifibrotic effect in various organs. The underlying mechanism has not been systematically elucidated. We aimed to clarify the effect of ART on liver fibrosis induced by Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) in an experimentally infected rodent model and the potential underlying mechanisms.MethodsThe effect of ART on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) was assessed using CCK-8 and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining assays. The experimental model of liver fibrosis was established in the Mongolian gerbil model infected with S. japonicum cercariae and then treated with 20 mg/kg or 40 mg/kg ART. The hydroxyproline (Hyp) content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities in liver tissue were measured and histopathological changes of liver tissues were observed. Whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of the liver tissues was performed. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using bioinformatic analysis and verified by quantitative PCR (qPCR) and western blot assay.ResultsART significantly inhibited the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of HSCs in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, Hyp content decreased significantly in the ART-H group compared to the model (MOD) group and GPX activity was significantly higher in the ART-H group than in the MOD group. Besides, ART treatment significantly reduced collagen production (p <0.05). A total of 158 DEGs and 44 differentially expressed miRNAs related to ART-induced anti-schistosomiasis liver fibrosis were identified. The qPCR and western blot results of selected DEGs were consistent with the sequencing results. These DEGs were implicated in key pathways such as immune and inflammatory response, integrin-mediated signaling and toll-like receptor signaling pathways.ConclusionART is effective against liver fibrosis using Mongolian gerbil model induced by S. japonicum infection. We identified host candidate regulators of schistosomiasis-induced liver fibrosis in response to ART through transcriptomics approach.
| S-EPMC10566724 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R?) is critical for the initiation of type-2 immune responses and implicated in the pathogenesis of experimental schistosomiasis. IL-4R? mediated type-2 responses are critical for the control of pathology during acute schistosomiasis. However, type-2 responses tightly associate with fibrogranulomatous inflammation that drives host pathology during chronic schistosomiasis. To address such controversy on the role of IL-4R?, we generated a novel inducible IL-4R?-deficient mouse model that allows for temporal knockdown of il-4r? gene after oral administration of Tamoxifen. Interrupting IL-4R? mediated signaling during the acute phase impaired the development of protective type-2 immune responses, leading to rapid weight loss and premature death, confirming a protective role of IL-4R? during acute schistosomiasis. Conversely, IL-4R? removal at the chronic phase of schistosomiasis ameliorated the pathological fibro-granulomatous pathology and reversed liver scarification without affecting the host fitness. This amelioration of the morbidity was accompanied by a reduced Th2 response and increased frequencies of FoxP3+ Tregs and CD1dhiCD5+ Bregs. Collectively, these data demonstrate that IL-4R? mediated signaling has two opposing functions during experimental schistosomiasis depending on the stage of advancement of the disease and indicate that interrupting IL-4R? mediated signaling is a viable therapeutic strategy to ameliorate liver fibroproliferative pathology in diseases like chronic schistosomiasis.
| S-EPMC5578697 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The arrival of eggs in the liver during Schistosoma mansoni infection initiates a protective granulomatous response; however, as the infection progresses, this response results in chronic liver fibrosis. To better understand the impact of schistosomiasis on liver function, we used a proteomic approach to identify proteins whose expression was significantly altered in schistosome-infected mice 8 weeks postinfection. Identification of differentially expressed proteins by mass fingerprinting revealed that schistosome infection markedly reduced the abundance of proteins associated with several normal liver functions (i.e., citric acid cycle, fatty acid cycle, and urea cycle), while proteins associated with stress responses, acute phase reactants, and structural components were all significantly more abundant. The expression patterns of several immunity-related proteins (peroxiredoxin 1, arginase 1, and galectin 1) suggested that different protein forms are associated with schistosome infection. These findings indicate that acute schistosomiasis has a significant impact on specific liver functions and, moreover, that the alterations in specific protein isoforms and upregulation of unique proteins may be valuable as new markers of disease.
| S-EPMC1828499 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Chronic infection with Schistosoma japonicum or S. mansoni results in hepatic fibrosis of the human host. Staging fibrosis is crucial for the prognosis and to determine the rapid need of treatment in patients with schistosomiasis. METHODS:To establish whether there is a correlation between circulating microRNA (miRNA) level and fibrosis progression in schistosomiasis, ten miRNAs were selected to assess their potential in grading schistosomiasis liver fibrosis. This was done firstly in two mouse strains (C57BL/6 and BALB/c) to determine the temporal expression profiles in serum over the course of S. japonicum infection, and then within a cohort of 163 schistosomiasis japonica patients with different grades of liver fibrosis. FINDING:Four miRNAs (miR-150-5p, let-7a-5p, let-7d-5p and miR-146a-5p) were able to distinguish patients with mild versus severe fibrosis. The level of serum miR-150-5p showed the most promising potential for grading hepatic fibrosis in schistosomiasis. The diagnostic performance of miR-150-5p in discriminating mild from severe fibrosis is comparable with that of the ELF test and serum HA level. In addition, the serum levels of the four miRNAs rebounded in infected C57BL/6 mice, after 6?months post treatment, following the regression of liver fibrosis, thereby providing further support for the utility of these miRNAs in grading schistosomal hepatic fibrosis. INTERPRETATION:Circulating miRNAs can be a supplementary tool for assessing hepatic fibrosis in human schistosomiasis. FUND: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia (APP1102926, APP1037304 and APP1098244).
| S-EPMC6286190 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In chronic schistosomiasis, liver fibrosis is linked to portal hypertension, which is a condition associated with high mortality and morbidity. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was originally described as a nuclear protein that functions as a structural co-factor in transcriptional regulation. However, HMGB1 can also be secreted into the extracellular milieu under appropriate signal stimulation. Extracellular HMGB1 acts as a multifunctional cytokine that contributes to infection, injury, inflammation, and immune responses by binding to specific cell-surface receptors. HMGB1 is involved in fibrotic diseases. From a clinical perspective, HMGB1 inhibition may represent a promising therapeutic approach for treating tissue fibrosis. In this study, we demonstrate elevated levels of HMGB1 in the sera in experimental mice or in patients with schistosomiasis. Using immunohistochemistry, we demonstrated that HMGB1 trafficking in the hepatocytes of mice suffering from acute schistosomiasis was inhibited by Glycyrrhizin, a well-known HMGB1 direct inhibitor, as well as by DIC, a novel and potential anti-HMGB1 compound. HMGB1 inhibition led to significant downregulation of IL-6, IL4, IL-5, IL-13, IL-17A, which are involved in the exacerbation of the immune response and liver fibrogenesis. Importantly, infected mice that were treated with DIC or GZR to inhibit HMGB1 pro-inflammatory activity showed a significant increase in survival and a reduction of over 50% in the area of liver fibrosis. Taken together, our findings indicate that HMGB1 is a key mediator of schistosomotic granuloma formation and liver fibrosis and may represent an outstanding target for the treatment of schistosomiasis.
| S-EPMC6143665 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In schistosomiasis japonica, the egg-induced granulomatous response and the development of extensive hepatic fibrosis is the main pathology. Information regarding the specific mechanisms associated with granuloma regression and the subsequent recovery events in the host liver are still limited. In this study, a murine model of schistosomiasis japonica was used to characterise the multicellular pathways occurring during liver regeneration. Schistosoma japonicum-infected C57BL/6 mice were administered with the drug praziquantel (PZQ), on a daily basis for five consecutive days to eliminate all adult parasites. The pathological changes of PZQ-treated groups after 3, 6 and 7 weeks post PZQ treatment were examined, along with the assessment of cellular infiltration to the liver. PZQ treatment significantly reduced the degree of splenomegaly, granuloma density and the collagen deposition of liver fibrosis. The infiltration of inflammatory cells, including neutrophils, eosinophils and macrophages to the liver were as well significantly decreased. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the significant up-regulation of fatty acid metabolism genes and the identification of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) as the upstream regulator during the process of liver recovery. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signalling pathway that is involved primarily in the regulation of hepatic enzymes responsible for xenobiotic metabolism was as well differentially up-regulated. These findings indicate that schistosome egg-induced fibrogenesis process is reversible, and provide a better understanding of the regression mechanisms associated with hepatic schistosomiasis. These results hold important implications for the future alleviation of this and other fibrotic diseases of clinical significance.
2014-08-31 | GSE59276 | GEO
Project description:In schistosomiasis japonica, the egg-induced granulomatous response and the development of extensive hepatic fibrosis is the main pathology. Information regarding the specific mechanisms associated with granuloma regression and the subsequent recovery events in the host liver are still limited. In this study, a murine model of schistosomiasis japonica was used to characterise the multicellular pathways occurring during liver regeneration. Schistosoma japonicum-infected C57BL/6 mice were administered with the drug praziquantel (PZQ), on a daily basis for five consecutive days to eliminate all adult parasites. The pathological changes of PZQ-treated groups after 3, 6 and 7 weeks post PZQ treatment were examined, along with the assessment of cellular infiltration to the liver. PZQ treatment significantly reduced the degree of splenomegaly, granuloma density and the collagen deposition of liver fibrosis. The infiltration of inflammatory cells, including neutrophils, eosinophils and macrophages to the liver were as well significantly decreased. Transcriptomic analysis revealed the significant up-regulation of fatty acid metabolism genes and the identification of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) as the upstream regulator during the process of liver recovery. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signalling pathway that is involved primarily in the regulation of hepatic enzymes responsible for xenobiotic metabolism was as well differentially up-regulated. These findings indicate that schistosome egg-induced fibrogenesis process is reversible, and provide a better understanding of the regression mechanisms associated with hepatic schistosomiasis. These results hold important implications for the future alleviation of this and other fibrotic diseases of clinical significance. C57BL/6 murine model infected with S. japonicum were treated orally with Praziquantel (PZQ) after 7 weeks post infection to examine the hepatic regression process following drug treatment. These PZQ-treated, non PZQ-treated and uninfected mice were then euthanised at 10, 13, and 14 weeks p.i. Livers were collected from each mice, and subjected to total RNA isolation and gene expression analysis. Microarray analysis of this study was performed using samples derived from 3 individual mice per group/time-point.
2014-08-31 | E-GEOD-59276 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Schistosomiasis affects approximately 240 million people in the world. Schistosoma mansoni eggs in the liver induce periportal fibrosis and hepatic failure driven by monocyte recruitment and macrophage activation, resulting in robust Th2 response. Here, we suggested a possible involvement of Galectin-3 (Gal-3), histone deacetylases (HDACs), and Hedgehog (Hh) signaling with macrophage activation during Th1/Th2 immune responses, fibrogranuloma reaction, and tissue repair during schistosomiasis. Gal-3 is highly expressed by liver macrophages (Kupffer cells) around Schistosoma eggs. HDACs and Hh regulate macrophage polarization and hepatic stellate cell activation during schistosomiasis-associated fibrogenesis. Previously, we demonstrated an abnormal extracellular matrix distribution in the liver that correlated with atypical monocyte-macrophage differentiation in S. mansoni-infected, Gal-3-deficient (Lgals3-/-) mice. New findings explored in this review focus on the chronic phase, when wild-type (Lgals3+/+) and Lgals3-/- mice were analyzed 90 days after cercariae infection. In Lgals3-/- infected mice, there was significant inflammatory infiltration with myeloid cells associated with egg destruction (hematoxylin and eosin staining), phagocytes (specifically Kupffer cells), numerically reduced and diffuse matrix extracellular deposition in fibrotic areas (Gomori trichrome staining), and severe disorganization of collagen fibers surrounding the S. mansoni eggs (reticulin staining). Granuloma-derived stromal cells (GR cells) of Lgals3-/- infected mice expressed lower levels of alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and eotaxin and higher levels of IL-4 than Lgals3+/+ mice (real-time PCR). The relevant participation of macrophages in these events led us to suggest distinct mechanisms of activation that culminate in defective fibrosis in the liver of Lgals3-/- infected mice. These aspects were discussed in this review, as well as the possible interference between Gal-3, HDACs, and Hh signaling during progressive liver fibrosis in S. mansoni-infected mice. Further studies focused on macrophage roles could elucidate these questions and clear the potential utility of these molecules as antifibrotic targets.
| S-EPMC5322873 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundARFI elastrography has been used as a noninvasive method to assess the severity of liver fibrosis in viral hepatitis, although with few studies in schistosomiasis mansoni. We aimed to evaluate the performance of point shear wave elastography (pSWE) for predicting significant periportal fibrosis (PPF) in schistosomotic patients and to determine its best cutoff point.Methodology/principal findingsThis cross-sectional study included 358 adult schistosomotic patients subjected to US and pSWE on the right lobe. Two hundred two patients (62.0%) were women, with a median age of 54 (ranging 18-92) years. The pSWE measurements were compared to the US patterns of PPF, as gold standard, according to the Niamey classification. The performance of pSWE was calculated as the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Patients were further classified into two groups: 86 patients with mild PPF and 272 patients with significant PPF. The median pSWE of the significant fibrosis group was higher (1.40 m/s) than that of mild fibrosis group (1.14 m/s, p<0.001). AUC was 0.719 with ≤1.11 m/s as the best cutoff value for excluding significant PPF. Sensitivity and negative predictive values were 80.5% and 40.5%, respectively. Whereas, for confirming significant PPF, the best cutoff value was >1.39 m/s, with specificity of 86.1% and positive predictive value of 92.0%.Conclusions/significancepSWE was able to differentiate significant from mild PPF, with better performance to predict significant PPF.
| S-EPMC6267962 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The facets of host control during Plasmodium liver infection remain largely unknown. We find that the SLC7a11-GPX4 pathway, which has been associated with the production of reactive oxygen species, lipid peroxidation, and a form of cell death called ferroptosis, plays a critical role in control of Plasmodium liver stage infection. Specifically, blocking GPX4 or SLC7a11 dramatically reduces Plasmodium liver stage parasite infection. In contrast, blocking negative regulators of this pathway, NOX1 and TFR1, leads to an increase in liver stage infection. We have shown previously that increased levels of P53 reduces Plasmodium LS burden in an apoptosis-independent manner. Here, we demonstrate that increased P53 is unable to control parasite burden during NOX1 or TFR1 knockdown, or in the presence of ROS scavenging or when lipid peroxidation is blocked. Additionally, SLC7a11 inhibitors Erastin and Sorafenib reduce infection. Thus, blocking the host SLC7a11-GPX4 pathway serves to selectively elevate lipid peroxides in infected cells, which localize within the parasite and lead to the elimination of liver stage parasites.
| S-EPMC7206113 | biostudies-literature