Macrophage-specific FGF12 promotes liver fibrosis progression in mice.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic liver diseases are associated with the development of liver fibrosis. Without treatment, liver fibrosis commonly leads to cirrhosis and HCC. FGF12 is an intracrine factor belonging to the FGF superfamily, but its role in liver homeostasis is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of FGF12 in the regulation of liver fibrosis. APPROACH AND RESULTS: FGF12 was up-regulated in bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced and CCL 4 -induced liver fibrosis mouse models. Expression of FGF12 was specifically up-regulated in nonparenchymal liver cells, especially in hepatic macrophages. By constructing myeloid-specific FGF12 knockout mice, we found that deletion of FGF12 in macrophages protected against BDL-induced and CCL 4 -induced liver fibrosis. Further results revealed that FGF12 deletion dramatically decreased the population of lymphocyte antigen 6 complex locus C high macrophages in mouse fibrotic liver tissue and reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Meanwhile, loss-of-function and gain-of-function approaches revealed that FGF12 promoted the proinflammatory activation of macrophages, thus inducing HSC activation mainly through the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 2 axis. Further experiments indicated that the regulation of macrophage activation by FGF12 was mainly mediated through the Janus kinase-signal transducer of activators of transcription pathway. Finally, the results revealed that FGF12 expression correlates with the severity of fibrosis across the spectrum of fibrogenesis in human liver samples. CONCLUSIONS: FGF12 promotes liver fibrosis progression. Therapeutic approaches to inhibit macrophage FGF12 may be used to combat liver fibrosis in the future.

Fibroblast growth factor 18 attenuates liver fibrosis and HSCs activation via the SMO-LATS1-YAP pathway.

Liver fibrosis, which is characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) primarily produced by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), can eventually lead to cirrhosis. Fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF18) mediates various biological activities. However, the precise role of FGF18 in the pathological process of liver fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. In this study, we found that FGF18 was markedly upregulated in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced fibrotic mouse liver tissues and transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) stimulated LX-2 cells. Furthermore, our studies demonstrated that overexpression of FGF18 in the liver significantly alleviated CCl4-induced fibrosis and inhibited the activation of HSCs, while exacerbated by HSC-specific deletion of FGF18. Mechanistically, FGF18 treatment dramatically activated Hippo signaling pathway by suppressing smoothened (SMO) both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, the interaction between SMO and LATS1 was crucial for the FGF18 induced protective effects. In conclusion, these results indicated that FGF18 attenuates liver fibrosis at least partially via the SMO-LATS1-YAP signaling pathway and therefore may be a potential therapeutic target for liver fibrosis.

The protective role of bFGF in myocardial infarction and hypoxia cardiomyocytes by reducing oxidative stress via Nrf2.

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a major health-related problem with high incidence and mortality rates. Oxidative stress plays an important role in myocardial ischemia injury and further leads to myocardial remodeling. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a member of the fibroblast growth factors that regulate a variety of biological functions. However the function of bFGF in myocardial infarction is still unknown. Here we aimed to investigate the role of bFGF and its underlying mechanism in ischemia heart and cardiomyocytes apoptosis. We found that bFGF treatment could significantly enhance the cardioprotective effects by reducing oxidative stress both in vivo and vitro. In addition, we found that bFGF activated Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defenses via Akt/GSK3ß/Fyn pathway. Furthermore, Nrf2 knockdown largely counteracted the protective effect of bFGF. In summary, our study suggested that bFGF could alleviate myocardial infarction injury and cardiomyocytes apoptosis via Nrf2.

FGF21 ameliorates septic liver injury by restraining proinflammatory macrophages activation through the autophagy/HIF-1α axis.

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis, a systemic immune syndrome caused by severe trauma or infection, poses a substantial threat to the health of patients worldwide. The progression of sepsis is heavily influenced by septic liver injury, which is triggered by infection and cytokine storms, and has a significant impact on the tolerance and prognosis of septic patients. The objective of our study is to elucidate the biological role and molecular mechanism of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) in the process of sepsis. OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken in an attempt to elucidate the function and molecular mechanism of FGF21 in therapy of sepsis. METHODS: Serum concentrations of FGF21 were measured in sepsis patients and septic mice. Liver injury was compared between mice FGF21 knockout (KO) mice and wildtype (WT) mice. To assess the therapeutic potential, recombinant human FGF21 was administered to septic mice. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism of FGF21 was investigated in mice with myeloid-cell specific HIF-1α overexpression mice (LyzM-CreDIO-HIF-1α) and myeloid-cell specific Atg7 knockout mice (Atg7△mye). RESULTS: Serum level of FGF21 was significantly increased in sepsis patients and septic mice. Through the use of recombinant human FGF21 (rhFGF21) and FGF21 KO mice, we found that FGF21 mitigated septic liver injury by inhibiting the initiation and propagation of inflammation. Treatment with rhFGF21 effectively suppressed the activation of proinflammatory macrophages by promoting macroautophagy/autophagy degradation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Importantly, the therapeutic effect of rhFGF21 against septic liver injury was nullified in LyzM-CreDIO-HIF-1α mice and Atg7△mye mice. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that FGF21 considerably suppresses inflammation upon septic liver injury through the autophagy/ HIF-1α axis.

CK2 blockade alleviates liver fibrosis by suppressing activation of hepatic stellate cells via the Hedgehog pathway.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Liver fibrosis is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide characterized by accumulation of extracellular matrix produced by hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The protein kinase CK2 is a pro-survival kinase overexpressed in human tumours. However, the biological role of CK2 in liver fibrosis is largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the mechanism by which CK2 promotes liver fibrosis. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: In vitro, LX-2 cells were stimulated with transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß). HSCs were also isolated for research. In vivo, the adeno-associated virus AAV-sh-csnk2a1 was used to knockdown CK2α specifically in HSCs, and CX-4945 was used to pharmacologically inhibit the enzymatic activity of CK2 in murine models of fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 ) and a 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) diet. Histological and biochemical analyses were performed to study the involvement of CK2 in regulation of fibrogenic and fibrolytic factors as well as activation properties of HSCs. KEY RESULTS: HSC-specific genetic invalidation of CK2α or pharmacological inhibition of CK2 protected mice treated with CCl4 or fed a DDC diet against liver fibrosis and HSC accumulation. Mechanistically, CK2α, which bound to Smoothened (SMO), was a positive regulator of the Hedgehog signal transduction pathway. CK2 prevented ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of SMO, which was abolished by knockdown of CK2α or pharmacological inhibition of CK2. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: CK2 activation is critical to sustain the activated and fibrogenic phenotype of HSCs via SMO stabilization. Therefore, inactivation of CK2 by CX-4945 may be of therapeutic interest for liver fibrotic diseases.

FGF18 alleviates hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury via the USP16-mediated KEAP1/Nrf2 signaling pathway in male mice.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common complication occurs during hepatic resection and transplantation. However, the mechanisms underlying hepatic IRI have not been fully elucidated. Here, we aim to explore the role of fibroblast growth factor 18 (FGF18) in hepatic IRI. In this work, we find that Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) secrete FGF18 and alleviates hepatocytes injury. HSCs-specific FGF18 deletion largely aggravates hepatic IRI. Mechanistically, FGF18 treatment reduces the levels of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 16 (USP16), leading to increased ubiquitination levels of Kelch Like ECH Associated Protein 1 (KEAP1) and the activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Furthermore, USP16 interacts and deubiquitinates KEAP1. More importantly, Nrf2 directly binds to the promoter of USP16 and forms a negative feedback loop with USP16. Collectively, our results show FGF18 alleviates hepatic IRI by USP16/KEAP1/Nrf2 signaling pathway in male mice, suggesting that FGF18 represents a promising therapeutic approach for hepatic IRI.

Basic fibroblast growth factor protects against liver ischemia-reperfusion injury via the Nrf2/Hippo signaling pathway.

Liver ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) continues to play a major role in liver dysfunction and failure, which is involved in the process of liver transplantation, partial hepatectomy, and hemorrhagic shock. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is involved in a variety of biological processes. However, bFGF's role in hepatic IRI remains unclear. In our study, we constructed hepatic I/R surgery in WT and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) KO mice and hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) model in AML12 cells to research bFGF's possible role. We found that the expression level of bFGF was highly upregulated in livers after hepatic IRI. In vivo, bFGF treatment led to a significant reduction in the necrotic area, accompanied by alleviation of oxidative stress, cell apoptosis, and inflammation in WT mice. bFGF-induced Nrf2 nuclear translocation and its downstream anti-oxidative proteins production in AML12 cells provide a mechanistic explanation for this phenomenon. In addition, bFGF-induced Nrf2 activation via the protein kinase B (AKT)/glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß) pathway. bFGF activated Nrf2 to restrain the phosphorylation of promote Yes-associated protein (YAP) and YAP stabilization, thus reducing cell apoptosis and inflammation in ROS-dependent manner, revealed that Hippo signaling was the downstream of Nrf2 mediating protective effects of bFGF during hepatic IRI. In conclusion, our findings suggest that bFGF could reduce hepatic IRI and hepatocyte injury via the Nrf2/Hippo signaling pathway.

FGF21 promotes migration and differentiation of epidermal cells during wound healing via SIRT1-dependent autophagy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Migration and differentiation of epidermal cells are essential for epidermal regeneration during wound healing. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) plays key roles in mediating a variety of biological activities. However, its role in skin wound healing remains unknown. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Fgf21 knockout (Fgf21 KO) mice were used to determine the effect of FGF21 on wound healing. The source of FGF21 and its target cells were determined by immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and ELISA assay. Moreover, Sirt1flox/flox and Atg7flox/flox mice were constructed and injected with the epidermal-specific Cre virus to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Migration and differentiation of keratinocytes were evaluated in vitro by cell scratch assays, immunofluorescence, and qRT-RCR. The effects were further assessed when SIRT1, ATG7, ATG5, BECN1, and P53 were silenced. Interactions between SIRT1 and autophagy-related genes were assessed using immunoprecipitation assays. KEY RESULTS: FGF21 was active in fibroblasts and promoted migration and differentiation of keratinocytes following injury. After wounding, SIRT1 expression and autophagosome synthesis were lower in Fgf21 KO mice. Depletion of ATG7 in keratinocytes counteracted the FGF21-induced increases in migration and differentiation, suggesting that autophagy is required for the FGF21-mediated pro-healing effects. Furthermore, epithelial-specific Sirt1 knockout abolished the FGF21-mediated improvements of autophagy and wound healing. Silencing of SIRT1 in keratinocytes, which decreased deacetylation of p53 and autophagy-related proteins, revealed that FGF21-induced autophagy during wound healing was SIRT1-dependent. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: FGF21 is a key regulator of keratinocyte migration and differentiation during wound healing. FGF21 may be a novel therapeutic target to accelerate would healing.

The protective effects of fibroblast growth factor 10 against hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice.

Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major complication of liver surgery and transplantation. IRI leads to hepatic parenchymal cell death, resulting in liver failure, and lacks effective therapeutic approaches. Fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) is a paracrine factor which is well-characterized with respect to its pro-proliferative effects during embryonic liver development and liver regeneration, but its role in hepatic IRI remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of FGF10 in liver IRI and identified signaling pathways regulated by FGF10. In a mouse model of warm liver IRI, FGF10 was highly expressed during the reperfusion phase. In vitro experiments demonstrated that FGF10 was primarily secreted by hepatic stellate cells and acted on hepatocytes. The role of FGF10 in liver IRI was further examined using adeno-associated virus-mediated gene silencing and overexpression. Overexpression of FGF10 alleviated liver dysfunction, reduced necrosis and inflammation, and protected hepatocytes from apoptosis in the early acute injury phase of IRI. Furthermore, in the late phase of IRI, FGF10 overexpression also promoted hepatocyte proliferation. Meanwhile, gene silencing of FGF10 had the opposite effect. Further studies revealed that overexpression of FGF10 activated nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and decreased oxidative stress, mainly through activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/AKT pathway, and the protective effects of FGF10 overexpression were largely abrogated in NRF2 knockout mice. These results demonstrate the protective effects of FGF10 in liver IRI, and reveal the important role of NRF2 in FGF10-mediated hepatic protection during IRI.

bFGF alleviates diabetes-associated endothelial impairment by downregulating inflammation via S-nitrosylation pathway.

Protein S-nitrosylation is a reversible protein modification implicated in both physiological and pathophysiological regulation of protein function. However, the relationship between dysregulated S-nitrosylation homeostasis and diabetic vascular complications remains incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a key regulatory link between S-nitrosylation homeostasis and inflammation, and alleviated endothelial dysfunction and angiogenic defects in diabetes. Subjecting human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia significantly decreased endogenous S-nitrosylated proteins, including S-nitrosylation of inhibitor kappa B kinase ß (IKKßC179) and transcription factor p65 (p65C38), which was alleviated by bFGF co-treatment. Pretreatment with carboxy-PTIO (c-PTIO), a nitric oxide scavenger, abolished bFGF-mediated S-nitrosylation increase and endothelial protection. Meanwhile, nitrosylation-resistant IKKßC179S and p65C38S mutants exacerbated endothelial dysfunction in db/db mice, and in cultured HUVECs subjected to hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Mechanistically, bFGF-mediated increase of S-nitrosylated IKKß and p65 was attributed to synergistic effects of increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and thioredoxin (Trx) activity. Taken together, the endothelial protective effect of bFGF under hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia can be partially attributed to its role in suppressing inflammation via the S-nitrosylation pathway.