B. Ottanelli

Thiazolidinediones Inhibit Hepatocarcinogenesis in Hepatitis B Virus―Transgenic Mice by Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ―Independent Regulation of Nucleophosmin

Antidiabetic thiazolidinediones (TZD) have in vitro antiproliferative effect in epithelial cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The effective anticancer properties and the underlying molecular mechanisms of these drugs in vivo remain unclear. In addition, the primary biological target of TZD, the ligand‐dependent transcription factor peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ), is up‐regulated in HCC and seems to provide tumor‐promoting responses. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether chronic administration of TZD may affect hepatic carcinogenesis in vivo in relation to PPARγ expression and activity. The effect of TZD oral administration for 26 weeks was tested on tumor formation in PPARγ‐expressing and PPARγ‐deficient mouse models of hepatic carcinogenesis. Proteomic analysis was performed in freshly isolated hepatocytes by differential in gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry analysis. Identified TZD targets were confirmed in cultured PPARγ‐deficient hepatocytes. TZD administration in hepatitis B virus (HBV)–transgenic mice (TgN[Alb1HBV]44Bri) reduced tumor incidence in the liver, inhibiting hepatocyte proliferation and increasing apoptosis. PPARγ deletion in hepatocytes of HBV‐transgenic mice (Tg[HBV]CreKOγ) did not modify hepatic carcinogenesis but increased the TZD antitumorigenic effect. Proteomic analysis identified nucleophosmin (NPM) as a TZD target in PPARγ‐deficient hepatocytes. TZD inhibited NPM expression at protein and messenger RNA levels and decreased NPM promoter activity. TZD inhibition of NPM was associated with the induction of p53 phosphorylation and p21 expression. Conclusion: These findings suggest that chronic administration of TZD has anticancer activity in the liver via inhibition of NPM expression and indicate that these drugs might be useful for HCC chemoprevention and treatment. HEPATOLOGY 2010

Dietary trans‐resveratrol bioavailability and effect on CCl4‐induced liver lipid peroxidation

Background and Aim:  Several in vitro studies have demonstrated the ability of pure trans‐resveratrol (t‐Res) to act as an anti‐oxidant, but the scientific literature is lacking in in vivo studies dealing with dietary t‐Res bioavailability in oxidative stress models. Our aim was to investigate the bioavailability of t‐Res from dietary sources and its effect on an animal model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)‐induced liver lipid peroxidation.

Helicobacter pylori cag Pathogenicity Island Is Associated with Reduced Expression of Interleukin-4 (IL-4) mRNA and Modulation of the IL-4δ2 mRNA Isoform in Human Gastric Mucosa

ABSTRACT Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-4δ2 mRNA gastric expression was evaluated in healthy subjects and patients who did not have ulcers but were infected with Helicobacter pylori with or without the cag pathogenicity island (cag PAI). IL-4 mRNA was physiologically expressed by gastric epithelium and negatively influenced by H. pylori. Also, nonepithelial cells in the lamina propria of H. pylori-infected patients expressed IL-4 mRNA, whereas IL-4δ2 mRNA was found only in cag PAI-negative patients. Thus, gastric IL-4 takes part in the local immune response to H. pylori.

Human gastric epithelium produces IL-4 and IL-4delta2 isoform only upon Helicobacter pylori infection.

Recent evidence suggests that interleukin-4 (IL-4) is related to mucosal tolerance by which an injurious immune response is prevented, suppressed or shifted to a non-injurious response. We investigated the expression of IL-4 and its splice variant isoform IL-4δ2 in gastric epithelial cells of healthy subjects and gastritis patients infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) with or without the cag pathogenicity island (cag-PAI). IL-4 and IL-4δ2 mRNAs were evaluated in microdissected gastric epithelium and in AGS cell lines co-cultured with H. pylori B128 or SSI strains. IL-4 mRNA was consistently detected in microdissected gastric epithelial cells from healthy subjects. The IL-4 mRNA expression was low in H. pylori-infected patients, and markedly reduced in cag-PAI-positive ones. IL-4δ2 mRNA was expressed on gastric epithelium of H. pylori-infected patients, but not in healthy subjects. The IL-452 expression was lower in cag-PAI-positive than in cag-PAI-negative H. pylori infected patients. AGS cells also produced IL-4 mRNA upon SSI strain stimulation, whereas IL-4δ2 mRNA expression was detected in AGS co-cultured with either SSI or B128 strains. An inverse correlation was documented between IL-4 and IL-482 mRNA expression by microdissected gastric epithelial cells and the score of gastritis. IL-4, but not IL-452, is expressed by gastric epithelium of healthy subjects, whereas IL-452 and lesser IL-4 mRNA are detectable in the gastric epithelium of H. pylori-infected patients. Data suggest that gastric epithelial cells might regulate the balance between tolerance and immune response by the fine tuning of IL-4 and IL-4δ2 expression.