Paradoxical Protective Effect of Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid Against High-Fat Diet-Induced Hepatic Steatosis in Mice.

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is a persistent organic pollutant with worldwide bioaccumulation due to a very long half-life. Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid exposure results in significant hepatic effects including steatosis, proliferation, hepatomegaly, and in rodents, carcinogenesis. The objective of this study was to determine whether PFOS exposure exacerbates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis pathogenesis. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 J mice (n = 5 per group) were fed ad libitum normal chow diet (ND) alone, 60% high-fat diet (HFD) alone, ND + PFOS, and HFD + PFOS (0.0001% w/w (1 mg/kg) of PFOS) for 6 weeks. Both HFD alone and the ND + PFOS treatment induced significant adiposity and hepatomegaly, but the HFD + PFOS treatment showed a marked protection. Oil Red O staining and quantitative analysis of hepatic lipid content revealed increased hepatic steatosis in ND + PFOS and in HFD alone fed mice, which was prevented in HFD + PFOS treatment. Further studies revealed that ND + PFOS treatment significantly affected expression of lipid trafficking genes to favor steatosis, but these changes were absent in HFD + PFOS group. Specifically, expression of CD36, the major lipid importer in the cells, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), its major regulator, were induced in HFD + no treatment (NT) and ND + PFOS-fed mice but remained unchanged in HFD + PFOS mice. In conclusion, these data indicate that coadministration of PFOS with HFD mitigates steatosis and hepatomegaly induced by HFD and that by PFOS fed in ND diet via regulation of cellular lipid import machinery. These findings suggest dietary lipid content be considered when performing risk management of PFOS in humans and the elucidation of PFOS-induced hepatotoxicity.

Bile acids promote diethylnitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma via increased inflammatory signaling.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common hepatic malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer related deaths. Previous studies have implicated bile acids in pathogenesis of HCC, but the mechanisms are not known. We investigated the mechanisms of HCC tumor promotion by bile acids the diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-initiation-cholic acid (CA)-induced tumor promotion protocol in mice. The data show that 0.2% CA treatment resulted in threefold increase in number and size of DEN-induced liver tumors. All tumors observed in DEN-treated mice were well-differentiated HCCs. The HCCs observed in DEN-treated CA-fed mice exhibited extensive CD3-, CD20-, and CD45-positive inflammatory cell aggregates. Microarray-based global gene expression studies combined with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed significant activation of NF-κB and Nanog in the DEN-treated 0.2% CA-fed livers. Further studies showed significantly higher TNF-α and IL-1ß mRNA, a marked increase in total and phosphorylated-p65 and phosphorylated IκBα (degradation form) in livers of DEN-treated 0.2% CA-fed mice. Treatment of primary mouse hepatocytes with various bile acids showed significant induction of stemness genes including Nanog, KLF4, Sox2, and Oct4. Quantification of total and 20 specific bile acids in liver, and serum revealed a tumor-associated bile acid signature. Finally, quantification of total serum bile acids in normal, cirrhotic, and HCC human samples revealed increased bile acids in serum of cirrhotic and HCC patients. Taken together, these data indicate that bile acids are mechanistically involved pathogenesis of HCC and may promote HCC formation via activation of inflammatory signaling.

The role of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4-alpha in perfluorooctanoic acid- and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid-induced hepatocellular dysfunction.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), chemicals present in a multitude of consumer products, are persistent organic pollutants. Both compounds induce hepatotoxic effects in rodents, including steatosis, hepatomegaly and liver cancer. The mechanisms of PFOA- and PFOS-induced hepatic dysfunction are not completely understood. We present evidence that PFOA and PFOS induce their hepatic effects via targeting hepatocyte nuclear factor 4-alpha (HNF4α). Human hepatocytes treated with PFOA and PFOS at a concentration relevant to occupational exposure caused a decrease in HNF4α protein without affecting HNF4α mRNA or causing cell death. RNA sequencing analysis combined with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of global gene expression changes in human hepatocytes treated with PFOA or PFOS indicated alterations in the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism and tumorigenesis, several of which are regulated by HNF4α. Further investigation of specific HNF4α target gene expression revealed that PFOA and PFOS could promote cellular dedifferentiation and increase cell proliferation by down regulating positive targets (differentiation genes such as CYP7A1) and inducing negative targets of HNF4α (pro-mitogenic genes such as CCND1). Furthermore, in silico docking simulations indicated that PFOA and PFOS could directly interact with HNF4α in a similar manner to endogenous fatty acids. Collectively, these results highlight HNF4α degradation as novel mechanism of PFOA and PFOS-mediated steatosis and tumorigenesis in human livers.

Trovafloxacin-induced replication stress sensitizes HepG2 cells to tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced cytotoxicity mediated by extracellular signal-regulated kinase and ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related.

Use of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic trovafloxacin (TVX) was restricted due to idiosyncratic, drug-induced liver injury (IDILI). Previous studies demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and TVX interact to cause death of hepatocytes in vitro that was associated with prolonged activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), activation of caspases 9 and 3, and DNA damage. The purpose of this study was to explore further the mechanism by which TVX interacts with TNF to cause cytotoxicity. Treatment with TVX caused cell cycle arrest, enhanced expression of p21 and impaired proliferation, but cell death only occurred after cotreatment with TVX and TNF. Cell death involved activation of extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), which in turn activated caspase 3 and ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related (ATR), both of which contributed to cytotoxicity. Cotreatment of HepG2 cells with TVX and TNF caused double-strand breaks in DNA, and ERK contributed to this effect. Inhibition of caspase activity abolished the DNA strand breaks. The data suggest a complex interaction of TVX and TNF in which TVX causes replication stress, and the downstream effects are exacerbated by TNF, leading to hepatocellular death. These results raise the possibility that IDILI from TVX results from MAPK and ATR activation in hepatocytes initiated by interaction of cytokine signaling with drug-induced replication stress.

Trovafloxacin enhances lipopolysaccharide-stimulated production of tumor necrosis factor-α by macrophages: role of the DNA damage response.

Trovafloxacin (TVX) is a drug that has caused idiosyncratic, drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) in humans. In a murine model of IDILI, otherwise nontoxic doses of TVX and the inflammagen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) interacted to produce pronounced hepatocellular injury. The liver injury depended on a TVX-induced, small but significant prolongation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) appearance in the plasma. The enhancement of TNF expression by TVX was reproduced in vitro in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages (RAW cells) stimulated with LPS. The current study was designed to identify the molecular target of TVX responsible for this response in RAW cells. An in silico analysis suggested a favorable binding profile of TVX to eukaryotic topoisomerase II-α (TopIIα), and a cell-free assay revealed that TVX inhibited eukaryotic TopIIα activity. Topoisomerase inhibition is known to lead to DNA damage, and TVX increased the DNA damage marker phosphorylated histone 2A.X in RAW cells. Moreover, TVX induced activation of the DNA damage sensor kinases, ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and Rad3-related (ATR). The ATR inhibitor NU6027 [6-(cyclohexylmethoxy)-5-nitrosopyrimidine-2,4-diamine] prevented the TVX-mediated increases in LPS-induced TNF mRNA and protein release, whereas a selective ATM inhibitor [2-(4-morpholinyl)-6-(1-thianthrenyl)-4H-pyran-4-one (KU55933)] was without effect. TVX prolonged TNF mRNA stability, and this effect was largely attenuated by NU6027. These results suggest that TVX can inhibit eukaryotic topoisomerase, leading to activation of ATR and potentiation of TNF release by macrophages, at least in part through increased mRNA stability. This off-target effect might contribute to the ability of TVX to precipitate IDILI in humans.

Molecular mechanisms of hepatocellular apoptosis induced by trovafloxacin-tumor necrosis factor-alpha interaction.

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) continues to be a significant human health problem. IDILI is characterized as occurring in a minority of individuals exposed to a drug, yet it accounts for as much as 17% of all cases of acute liver failure. Despite these concerns, the mechanisms underlying IDILI remain unknown. Trovafloxacin (TVX), which causes IDILI in humans, also causes hepatocellular death in vitro when combined with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) treatment. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in this toxicity are not fully characterized. The purpose of this study was to identify mechanisms by which TVX and TNF interact to cause hepatocellular death, with a focus on a human hepatocyte cell line. TVX and TNF interacted to cause cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells at drug concentrations similar to those in people undergoing TVX therapy. TVX/TNF treatment caused apoptosis and DNA damage in HepG2 cells that depended on caspase activation. Prolonged activation of JNK occurred in TVX/TNF-induced cytotoxicity, and treatment with the JNK selective inhibitor SP600125 attenuated cytotoxicity. TVX/TNF cotreatment also caused cytotoxicity in isolated primary murine hepatocytes that was dependent on caspase activation. These results increase understanding of molecular signaling pathways involved in hepatocellular death caused by a drug with idiosyncratic liability in the presence of TNF.

Trovafloxacin enhances TNF-induced inflammatory stress and cell death signaling and reduces TNF clearance in a murine model of idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity.

Therapy employing the fluoroquinolone antibiotic, trovafloxacin (TVX) was curtailed due to idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity. Previous studies in mice showed that a nonhepatotoxic inflammatory stress induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) synergized with a nonhepatotoxic dose of TVX to cause liver injury. The purpose of this study was to explore mechanisms by which TVX interacts with TNF to cause liver injury. TVX pretreatment prolonged the peak of plasma TNF after its administration. This prolongation of TNF by TVX was critical to the development of hepatotoxicity. The prolongation of TNF concentration in plasma was primarily due to reduced clearance when compared with secondary biosynthesis. TNF is cleared from plasma by binding to soluble TNF receptors (TNFRs) which are eliminated by the kidney; however, the plasma concentrations of soluble TNFRs were not reduced, and biomarkers of renal dysfunction were not elevated in TVX/TNF-treated mice. Two injections of TNF mimicked the prolongation of the TNF peak by TVX and caused liver injury, but injury was less severe than after TVX/TNF coexposure. TVX enhanced the induction of proinflammatory cytokines by TNF. Additionally, TVX sensitized Hepa1c1c7 cells to TNF-induced killing in a concentration-dependent manner and increased both potency and efficacy of TNF to activate effector caspases that were critically involved in cell death from TVX/TNF coexposure. In summary, TVX reduced the clearance of TNF independent of either receptor shedding or kidney dysfunction. Additionally, TVX interacted with TNF to enhance inflammation and sensitize hepatocytes to TNF-induced cell death.

Sulindac metabolism and synergy with tumor necrosis factor-alpha in a drug-inflammation interaction model of idiosyncratic liver injury.

Sulindac (SLD) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that has been associated with a greater incidence of idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity in human patients than other NSAIDs. In previous studies, cotreatment of rats with SLD and a modestly inflammatory dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) led to liver injury, whereas neither SLD nor LPS alone caused liver damage. In studies presented here, further investigation of this animal model revealed that the concentration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in plasma was significantly increased by LPS at 1 h, and SLD enhanced this response. Etanercept, a soluble TNF-alpha receptor, reduced SLD/LPS-induced liver injury, suggesting a role for TNF-alpha. SLD metabolites in plasma and liver were determined by LC/MS/MS. Cotreatment with LPS did not increase the concentrations of SLD or its metabolites, excluding the possibility that LPS contributed to liver injury through enhanced exposure to SLD or its metabolites. The cytotoxicities of SLD and its sulfide and sulfone metabolites were compared in primary rat hepatocytes and HepG2 cells; SLD sulfide was more toxic in both types of cells than SLD or SLD sulfone. TNF-alpha augmented the cytotoxicity of SLD sulfide in primary hepatocytes and HepG2 cells. These results suggest that TNF-alpha can enhance SLD sulfide-induced hepatotoxicity, thereby contributing to liver injury in SLD/LPS-cotreated rats.

Body distribution of infused serotonin in rats.

1. Our goal was to investigate the body distribution of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) in rats infused with 5-HT (25 microg/kg per min) for 7 days and the contribution of the 5-HT transporter (SERT) for 5-HT uptake into the tissues. 2. Mini-osmotic pumps containing 5-HT or vehicle were implanted in rats knocked out for SERT (SERT-KO) or in wild-type (WT) rats. On the 8th day, tissues were harvested for measurements of 5-HT by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The 5-HT metabolite 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) was also measured by HPLC, because an increase in 5-HIAA in tissues from rats receiving 5-HT reflects 5-HT uptake followed by metabolism. 3. In WT rats infused with 5-HT, an increase in 5-HT or 5-HIAA was observed in the heart, pancreas, thyroid, adrenal gland, kidney, seminal vesicle, bladder, prostate, liver, oesophagus, stomach, femur, trachea, lung and spleen compared with vehicle-infused rats. An increase in 5-HT and 5-HIAA was not observed in aorta, vena cava and jejunum. In tissues from SERT-KO rats infused with 5-HT, the content of 5-HT or 5-HIAA was decreased in most of the tissues studied compared with 5-HT-infused WT rats. Although 5-HT uptake in the kidney, seminal vesicle, prostate, jejunum and trachea is SERT dependent, it is SERT independent in the pancreas. The remaining tissues display SERT-dependent and -independent mechanisms for 5-HT uptake. 4. Altogether, tissues from different systems, such as the cardiovascular, endocrine, genitourinary and gastrointestinal, accumulate 5-HT mainly via SERT and, thus, these systems are potential targets for drugs that interfere with 5-HT homeostasis.