Review
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Leke Wiering, Pallavi Subramanian, Linda Hammerich
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease with a wide range of severity, from simple hepatic steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH can lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, making hepatic fibrosis an important predictor of outcomes. Recent advancements in understanding the activation and inactivation of hepatic stellate cells, which drive fibrosis development, have shed light on the disease progression in NAFLD/NASH.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Wang-Hsin Lee, Sonia M. Najjar, C. Ronald Kahn, Terry D. Hinds
Summary: Over 65% of obese individuals suffer from metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), which can lead to various conditions such as steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. This review discusses the role of insulin signaling, hepatic insulin resistance, and reduced insulin clearance in the development of MAFLD, emphasizing the potential use of insulin sensitizers as a treatment approach. Additionally, the review explores the involvement of the insulin receptor in hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells and its implications in metabolic and end-stage liver diseases. It also discusses the possibility of using insulin sensitizers to manage late-stage liver diseases based on recent research findings.
METABOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yukun Li, Miaomiao Wei, Qi Yuan, Yu Liu, Tian Tian, Lingling Hou, Jinhua Zhang
Summary: This study reveals the important role of MyD88 in hepatic stellate cells in alcoholic fatty liver. The results show that the high expression of MyD88 in hepatocytes is associated with ethanol treatment and promotes fat accumulation by inducing OPN secretion and activating the AKT signaling pathway, while also promoting inflammation through activating p-STAT1. In addition, MyD88 knockout can suppress inflammation and lipogenesis, which may be a potential strategy for the treatment of alcoholic fatty liver.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE-JMM
(2022)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Qinghui Zhang, Rongrong Jia, Minjie Chen, Jianjun Wang, Feng Huang, Min Shi, Huiming Sheng, Ling Xu
Summary: The active form of vitamin D3, 1,25-OH2 Vitamin D3, is responsible for anti-fibrosis and improves liver function. GSK126, an Ezh2 inhibitor, plays a synergistic role in this process. Co-culture experiments showed that hepatocyte autophagy increases after activation of hepatic stellate cells, which can be reduced by supplementation with 1,25-OH2 Vitamin D3 or combined GSK126. Further research revealed that 1,25-OH2 Vitamin D3 promotes H3K27 methylation of the DKK1 promoter through VDR/Ezh2, weakening the inhibitory signal of hepatic stellate cells.
JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Ali Saeed, Paulina Bartuzi, Janette Heegsma, Daphne Dekker, Niels Kloosterhuis, Alain de Bruin, Johan W. Jonker, Bart van de Sluis, Klaas Nico Faber
Summary: This study analyzed changes in vitamin A metabolism in NAFLD mouse models and found that vitamin A accumulation mainly occurs in hepatocytes, which may impact disease progression and therapeutic approaches targeting nuclear receptors.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Oscar Gomez-Torres, Shripa Amatya, Lilly Kamberov, Hemangini A. Dhaibar, Pranshu Khanna, Oren Rom, Arif Yurdagul, A. Wayne Orr, Kelly Nunez, Paul Thevenot, Ari Cohen, Hrishikesh Samant, Jonathan S. Alexander, Emma Burgos-Ramos, Adrian Chapa-Rodriguez, Diana Cruz-Topete
Summary: The study identified SLAMF1 as a mediator of hepatocyte death in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH) and as a potential marker of NASH in humans. SLAMF1 levels were found to be significantly increased in the liver and plasma samples of NASH patients, suggesting a potential role as a noninvasive biomarker for the disease. Additionally, in vitro data indicate that SLAMF1 may serve as a therapeutic target to prevent hepatocyte death in NASH.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-GASTROINTESTINAL AND LIVER PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Ke-Qiong Deng, Xuewei Huang, Fang Lei, Xiao-Jing Zhang, Peng Zhang, Zhi-Gang She, Jingjing Cai, Yan-Xiao Ji, Hongliang Li
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common liver disease worldwide due to the global pandemic of metabolic diseases. This article highlights the links between hepatic lipid species and their mechanisms in mediating the pathogenesis of NAFLD, with a focus on saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, oxidized phospholipids, and their intermediates.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Pathology
Hayato Urushima, Hideto Yuasa, Tsutomu Matsubara, Noriyuki Kuroda, Yaiko Hara, Kouji Inoue, Kenjiro Wake, Tetsuji Sato, Scott L. Friedman, Kazuo Ikeda
Summary: This study revealed the activation mechanism of HSCs, identifying the relationship between adherens junctions and HSC activation, recognizing the crucial role of E-cadherin in the activation of hepatic stellate cells, and discovering the critical role of TAZ-mediated mechanotransduction in HSC activation.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Milian Chen, Ying Cao, Guang Ji, Li Zhang
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a common chronic liver disease worldwide. It is commonly associated with obesity, but can also occur in lean individuals, known as lean NAFLD. Lean NAFLD is often accompanied by sarcopenia, progressive loss of muscle mass and quality. The pathological features of lean NAFLD contribute to the development of sarcopenia, while sarcopenia further exacerbates ectopic fat accumulation and lean NAFLD. In this review, we discuss the association between sarcopenia and lean NAFLD, summarize the underlying pathological mechanisms, and suggest potential strategies to reduce the risks of lean NAFLD and sarcopenia.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Jinwang Li, Siyu Xie, Wendi Teng
Summary: Sulforaphane (SFA) has the potential to improve lipid metabolism, inhibit lipid accumulation and apoptosis, making it a potential candidate for preventing and treating nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rong Wang, Fangbin Liu, Panpan Chen, Shengnan Li, Yanqiu Gu, Lei Wang, Chun Chen, Yongfang Yuan
Summary: This study found that gomisin D can inhibit the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) by targeting PDGFR beta, thereby exerting anti-fibrotic effects in liver fibrosis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Yoshiya Ito, Kanako Hosono, Hideki Amano
Summary: The liver has the ability to regenerate in response to acute liver injury, but liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) remains a major problem in liver surgery. Non-parenchymal cells in the liver play critical roles in liver repair and regeneration, and recent technological advances have provided insights into their heterogeneity. This review discusses the progress in understanding the biology of liver non-parenchymal cells and the functional role of each cell component in response to liver IRI.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Jimmy Vandel, Julie Dubois-Chevalier, Celine Gheeraert, Bruno Derudas, Violetta Raverdy, Dorothee Thuillier, Luc Gaal, Sven Francque, Francois Pattou, Bart Staels, Jerome Eeckhoute, Philippe Lefebvre
Summary: This study explored transcriptomic profiles of livers from a cohort of 910 obese patients, identifying differentially expressed genes in NASH patients based on sex using bootstrapping and random forest approaches. The findings highlighted the sexually dimorphic nature of NASH and its link with fibrosis, emphasizing the importance of integrating sex as a major determinant of liver responses to NASH progression and drug responses.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Evangelia S. Makri, Eleftheria Makri, Stergios A. Polyzos
Summary: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent disease associated with various comorbidities, leading to a socioeconomic burden. Despite the lack of approved pharmacological treatment for NAFLD, combination therapies may be a rational alternative due to the multifaceted pathophysiology of the disease.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Teresa Koenen, Elisa Fabiana Brandt, Dawid Marcin Kaczor, Tim Caspers, Alexandra Catharina Anna Heinzmann, Petra Fischer, Daniel Heinrichs, Theresa Hildegard Wirtz, Christian Trautwein, Rory R. Koenen, Marie-Luise Berres
Summary: Hepatic steatosis can lead to liver fibrosis, and the interaction between hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells plays a crucial role. This study found that extracellular vesicles released by hepatocytes can modify the phenotype of stellate cells and guide their migration, suggesting their potential as a diagnostic parameter and therapeutic target for steatosis-associated liver fibrosis.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yong Wang, Qin Feng, Peijian He, Lixin Zhu, Guoxun Chen
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GENOMICS
(2018)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rui Li, Rui Zhang, Yang Li, Bing Zhu, Wei Chen, Yan Zhang, Guoxun Chen
JOURNAL OF NUTRITIONAL BIOCHEMISTRY
(2014)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wei Chen, Matthew Ray Goff, Heqian Kuang, Guoxun Chen
Article
Cell Biology
Liang Liu, Qinling Hu, Huihui Wu, Xiujing Wang, Chao Gao, Guoxun Chen, Ping Yao, Zhiyong Gong
OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY
(2018)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Yipin Liu, Weiwei Jiang, Guoxun Chen, Yanqing Li
GASTROENTEROLOGY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
(2019)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Mary Ross L. Lamsen, Tiannan Wang, Doris D'Souza, Vermont Dia, Guoxun Chen, Qixin Zhong
JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE
(2020)
Review
Cell Biology
Guoxun Chen
Summary: Obesity and type 2 diabetes are major public health concerns, with nutrition playing a key role in these issues. Vitamin A has been found to regulate glucose and fat metabolism, while interactions between insulin and RA signaling systems impact the expression of genes involved in hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Jing Wang, Xinge Hu, Junbin Chen, Tiannan Wang, Xianju Huang, Guoxun Chen
Summary: Beta-carotene, an important carotenoid, can be extracted from microalgae and has been found to have biological activities such as promoting lifespan and reducing oxidative stress. However, further studies are needed to explore the health benefits and functional mechanisms of beta-carotene in microalgae extracts.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tiannan Wang, Xia Tang, Xinge Hu, Jing Wang, Guoxun Chen
Summary: The study found that reducing dietary vitamin A status can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes and obesity in ZDF rats, especially in high-fat diets.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Junbin Chen, Yuguo Liu, Huiyu Luo, Guoxun Chen, Zhongdaixi Zheng, Tiannan Wang, Xinge Hu, Yue Zhao, Jiaqi Tang, Chuhong Su, Longying Zha
Summary: Recent studies have shown that chronic inflammation disrupts cholesterol homeostasis and promotes its accumulation in the liver. This study investigated the relationship between the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) inflammatory signaling pathway and cholesterol accumulation. The results revealed that the activation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-kappa B pathway increases SREBP-2-mediated cholesterol accumulation in HepG2 cells.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xinyun Xu, Xinge Hu, Guodong Ma, Tiannan Wang, Jayne Wu, Xiaojuan Zhu, Guoxun Chen, Ling Zhao, Jiangang Chen
Summary: We developed a method based on ARMS-PCR to genotype Zucker rats and quickly differentiate the mutated fa allele from the wildtype. This method is reliable for setting up and maintaining breeding colonies in animal facilities and assigning animals to control and treatment groups based on their genotypes in animal studies.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Feng Xu, Yawei Wen, Xinge Hu, Tiannan Wang, Guoxun Chen
Summary: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to global public health crisis. High mortality rates are seen in elders and subjects with comorbidities. The cytokine storm feature of COVID-19 may cause damage to the kidneys.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Heqian Kuang, Fang Yang, Yan Zhang, Tiannan Wang, Guoxun Chen
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yang Li, Yang Liu, Guoxun Chen
