Guangdong Key Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine, Joint Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China; Affiliated Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210028, China.
Guangdong Key Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine, Joint Laboratory for Translational Cancer Research of Chinese Medicine of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, International Institute for Translational Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2021 Aug;190:114592. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114592. Epub 2021 May 4.
UGT1A1 is the only enzyme that can metabolize bilirubin, and its encoding gene is frequently mutated. UGT1A16 (G71R) is a common mutant in Asia which leads to the decrease of UGT1A1 activity and abnormal bilirubin metabolism. However, it is not clear whether low UGT1A1 activity-induced bilirubin metabolism disorder increases hepatocyte fragility. ugt1a mice were used to simulate the UGT1A16 (G71R) population. Under the same CCl induction condition, ugt1a mice showed severer liver damage and fibrosis, indicating that ugt1a1 dysfunction increased liver burden and aggravated hepatocyte damage. In the animal experiment with a continuous intraperitoneal injection of bilirubin, the ugt1a mice livers had more serious unconjugated bilirubin accumulation. The accumulated bilirubin leads to hyperphosphorylation of IκB-α, Ikk-β, and p65 and a significant increase of inflammatory factor. The α-SMA and Collagen I proteins markedly up-regulated in the ugt1a mice livers. Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy showed that hepatic stellate cells and Kupffer cells were activated in ugt1a mice. Comprehensive results show that there was a crosstalk relationship between low UGT1A1 activity-bilirubin-liver damage. Furthermore, cell experiments confirmed that unconjugated bilirubin activated the NF-κB pathway and induced DNA damage in hepatocytes, leading to the significant increase of inflammatory factors. UGT1A1 knockdown in hepatocytes aggravated the toxicity of unconjugated bilirubin. Conversely, overexpression of UGT1A1 had a protective effect on hepatocytes. Finally, Schisandrin B, an active ingredient with hepatoprotective effects, extracted from a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, which could protect the liver from bilirubin metabolism disorders caused by ugt1a1 deficiency by downregulating p65 phosphorylation, inhibiting Kupffer cells, reducing inflammation levels. Our data clarified the mechanism of liver vulnerability caused by cross-talk between low UGT1A1 activity bilirubin, and provided a reference for individualized prevention of liver fragility in Gilbert's syndrome.
UGT1A1 是唯一能够代谢胆红素的酶,其编码基因经常发生突变。UGT1A16(G71R)是亚洲常见的突变体,导致 UGT1A1 活性降低和胆红素代谢异常。然而,尚不清楚低 UGT1A1 活性引起的胆红素代谢紊乱是否会增加肝细胞的脆弱性。UGT1A1 敲除小鼠用于模拟 UGT1A16(G71R)人群。在相同的 CCl 诱导条件下,UGT1A1 敲除小鼠表现出更严重的肝损伤和纤维化,表明 UGT1A1 功能障碍增加了肝脏负担并加重了肝细胞损伤。在连续腹腔注射胆红素的动物实验中,UGT1A1 敲除小鼠肝脏有更严重的未结合胆红素积聚。积聚的胆红素导致 IκB-α、Ikk-β 和 p65 的过度磷酸化以及炎症因子的显著增加。α-SMA 和 Collagen I 蛋白在 UGT1A1 敲除小鼠肝脏中明显上调。免疫荧光和共聚焦显微镜显示,肝星状细胞和库普弗细胞在 UGT1A1 敲除小鼠中被激活。综合结果表明,低 UGT1A1 活性-胆红素-肝损伤之间存在相互作用关系。此外,细胞实验证实未结合胆红素激活了 NF-κB 通路,并在肝细胞中诱导 DNA 损伤,导致炎症因子的显著增加。肝细胞中 UGT1A1 的敲低加重了未结合胆红素的毒性。相反,UGT1A1 的过表达对肝细胞具有保护作用。最后,五味子乙素,一种从中药中提取的具有保肝作用的活性成分,通过下调 p65 磷酸化、抑制库普弗细胞、降低炎症水平,可保护肝脏免受 UGT1A1 缺乏引起的胆红素代谢紊乱。我们的数据阐明了由低 UGT1A1 活性胆红素相互作用引起的肝脏脆弱性的机制,为吉尔伯特综合征患者的肝脏脆弱性个体化预防提供了参考。