Ji Hye Yang

Resveratrol inhibits LXRα-dependent hepatic lipogenesis through novel antioxidant Sestrin2 gene induction.

Liver X receptor-α (LXRα), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors, regulates de novo fatty acid synthesis that leads to stimulate hepatic steatosis. Although, resveratrol has beneficial effects on metabolic disease, it is not known whether resveratrol affects LXRα-dependent lipogenic gene expression. This study investigated the effect of resveratrol in LXRα-mediated lipogenesis and the underlying molecular mechanism. Resveratrol inhibited the ability of LXRα to activate sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) and thereby inhibited target gene expression in hepatocytes. Moreover, resveratrol decreased LXRα-RXRα DNA binding activity and LXRE-luciferase transactivation. Resveratrol is known to activate Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), although its precise mechanism of action remains controversial. We found that the ability of resveratrol to repress T0901317-induced SREBP-1c expression was not dependent on AMPK and Sirt1. It is well established that hepatic steatosis is associated with antioxidant and redox signaling. Our data showing that expression of Sestrin2 (Sesn2), which is a novel antioxidant gene, was significantly down-regulated in the livers of high-fat diet-fed mice. Moreover, resveratrol up-regulated Sesn2 expression, but not Sesn1 and Sesn3. Sesn2 overexpression repressed LXRα-activated SREBP-1c expression and LXRE-luciferase activity. Finally, Sesn2 knockdown using siRNA abolished the effect of resveratrol in LXRα-induced FAS luciferase gene transactivation. We conclude that resveratrol affects Sesn2 gene induction and contributes to the inhibition of LXRα-mediated hepatic lipogenesis.

The antioxidant effects of isorhamnetin contribute to inhibit COX-2 expression in response to inflammation: a potential role of HO-1.

Previously, we reported that isorhamnentin, a 3′-O-methylated metabolite of quercetin, reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and NO production. The present study further investigated the underlying mechanism of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of isorhamnentin. Administration of isorhamnetin decreased the number of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) positive cells in rats with carrageenan-induced paw edema. Isorhamnetin also suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of COX-2 in cells. It is well known that LPS-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production leads to COX-2 induction. Isorhamnetin decreased LPS-induced ROS production and apoptosis. In addition, the basal expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was increased by isorhamnetin treatment in agreement with the increase in nuclear translocation of NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2), an essential transcription factor for the regulation of HO-1 expression. Moreover, pretreatment of tin protoporphyrin IX (SnPP), a chemical inhibitor of HO-1, reversed the ability of isothamnetin to inhibit COX-2 expression. These results demonstrate that induction of HO-1 by isorhamnetin leads to a reduction in ROS production and its antioxidant property might contribute to the inhibition of COX-2 expression in response to inflammation.

Red ginseng extract protects against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis.

Korean red ginseng, the processed root of Panax ginseng Meyer, has been frequently used for various therapeutic purposes in oriental medicine. The present study investigated the possible effect of Korean red ginseng extract (RGE) for the treatment of liver fibrosis in mice injected with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 4 wk. Liver injuries were assessed by blood biochemistry and histopathology in mice treated with CCl4 alone or CCl4+ RGE (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg). Concomitant treatment with RGE and CCl4 (three times/wk for 4 wk) effectively inhibited liver fibrosis as evidenced by decreases in plasma alanine and aspartate aminotransferases, as well as by the percentages of degenerative regions, numbers of degenerative hepatocytes, and collagen accumulation in hepatic parenchyma. Treatment with CCl4 for 4 wk increased mRNA levels of transforming growth factor β1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 in fibrogenic liver, whereas RGE (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg) significantly blocked the induction of fibrogenic genes by CCl4. Similarly, RGE also prevented transforming growth factor β1-mediated induction of fibrogenic genes in human hepatic stellate cell lines. More importantly, RGE markedly reduced the number of α-smooth muscle actin-positive cells in liver tissue. This study implies that RGE efficaciously protects against the liver fibrosis induced by chronic CCl4 treatment, and may therefore have potential to treat liver disease.

AMPK activation by isorhamnetin protects hepatocytes against oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction

Arachidonic acid (AA) is a ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid that is found in the phospholipids of membranes and released from the cellular membrane lipid bilayer by phospholipase A2. During this process, AA could produce excess reactive oxygen species and induce apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction by selectively inhibiting complexes I and III. Isorhamnetin, an O-methylated flavonol aglycone, has been shown to have cardio-protective, anti-adipogenic, anti-tumor, and anti-inflammatory effects. In the present study, we investigated the effects of isorhamnetin on hepatotoxicity and the underlying mechanisms involved. Our in vitro experiments showed that isorhamnetin dose-dependently blocked the hepatotoxicity induced by treatment with AA plus iron in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, isorhamnetin inhibited the AA+iron induced generation of reactive oxygen species and reduction of glutathione, and subsequently maintained mitochondria membrane potential in AA+iron treated HepG2 cells. In addition, isorhamnetin activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) by Thr-172 phosphorylation of AMPKα, and this was mediated with Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase-2 (CaMKK2), but not liver kinase B1. Experiments using CaMKK2 siRNA or its selective inhibitor, STO-609, revealed the role of CaMKK2 in the isorhamnetin-induced activation of AMPK in HepG2 cells. These results indicate isorhamnetin protects against the hepatotoxic effect of AA plus iron, and suggest that the AMPK pathway is involved in the mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of isorhamnetin in the liver.

Korean Red Ginseng attenuates ethanol-induced steatosis and oxidative stress via AMPK/Sirt1 activation

Background Alcoholic steatosis is the earliest and most common liver disease, and may precede the onset of more severe forms of liver injury. Methods The effect of Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) was tested in two murine models of ethanol (EtOH)-feeding and EtOH-treated hepatocytes. Results Blood biochemistry analysis demonstrated that RGE treatment improved liver function. Histopathology and measurement of hepatic triglyceride content verified the ability of RGE to inhibit fat accumulation. Consistent with this, RGE administration downregulated hepatic lipogenic gene induction and restored hepatic lipolytic gene repression by EtOH. The role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver diseases is well established. Treatment with RGE attenuated EtOH-induced cytochrome P450 2E1, 4-hydroxynonenal, and nitrotyrosine levels. Alcohol consumption also decreased phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, which was restored by RGE. Moreover, RGE markedly inhibited fat accumulation in EtOH-treated hepatocytes, which correlated with a decrease in sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 and a commensurate increase in sirtuin 1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α expression. Interestingly, the ginsenosides Rb2 and Rd, but not Rb1, significantly inhibited fat accumulation in hepatocytes. Conclusion These results demonstrate that RGE and its ginsenoside components inhibit alcoholic steatosis and liver injury by adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase/sirtuin 1 activation both in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that RGE may have a potential to treat alcoholic liver disease.

Role of sestrin2 in the regulation of proinflammatory signaling in macrophages.

Sestrins (Sesns) are conserved antioxidant proteins that accumulate in cells in response to various stresses. However, the regulatory roles of Sesn2 in the immune system and in inflammatory responses remain obscure. In the present study, we investigated whether Sesn2 regulates Toll like receptor (TLR)-mediated inflammatory signaling and sought to identify the molecular mechanism responsible. In cells expressing Sesn2, it was found that Sesn2 almost completely inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO release and iNOS expression. A gene knockdown experiment confirmed the role of Sesn2 in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. Consistently, proinflammatory cytokine (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) release and expression were inhibited in Sesn2-expressing cells. Furthermore, Sesn2 prevented LPS-elicited cell death and ROS production via inhibition of NADPH oxidase. NF-κB and AP-1 are redox-sensitive transcription factors that regulate the expressions of diverse inflammatory genes. Surprisingly, Sesn2 specifically inhibited AP-1 luciferase activity and its DNA binding, but not those of NF-κB. AP-1 inhibition by Sesn2 was found to be due to a lack of JNK, p38, and c-Jun phosphorylation. Next, we investigated whether Sesn2 protects galactosamine (Gal)/LPS-induced liver injury in mice infected with a recombinant adenovirus Sesn2 (Ad-Sesn2). Ad-Sesn2 present less severe hepatic injury as supported by decreases in the ALT, AST, and hepatocyte degeneration. Moreover, Ad-Sesn2 attenuated Gal/LPS-induced proinflammatory gene expression in mice. The study shows that Sesn2 inhibits TLR-induced proinflammatory signaling and protects cells by inhibiting JNK- or p38-mediated c-Jun phosphorylation.

The chalcone compound isosalipurposide (ISPP) exerts a cytoprotective effect against oxidative injury via Nrf2 activation

The chalcone compound isosalipurposide (ISPP) has been successfully isolated from the native Korean plant species Corylopsis coreana Uyeki (Korean winter hazel). However, the therapeutic efficacy of ISPP remains poorly understood. This study investigated whether ISPP has the capacity to activate NF-E2-related factor (Nrf2)-antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling and induce its target gene expression, and to determined the protective role of ISPP against oxidative injury of hepatocytes. In HepG2 cells, nuclear translocation of Nrf2 is augmented by ISPP treatment. Consistently, ISPP increased ARE reporter gene activity and the protein levels of glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) and hemeoxygenase (HO-1), resulting in increased intracellular glutathione levels. Cells pretreated with ISPP were rescued from tert-butylhydroperoxide-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and glutathione depletion and consequently, apoptotic cell death. Moreover, ISPP ameliorated the mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis induced by rotenone which is an inhibitor of complex 1 of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. The specific role of Nrf2 activation by ISPP was demonstrated using an ARE-deletion mutant plasmid and Nrf2-knockout cells. Finally, we observed that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), but not protein kinase C (PKC)-δ or other mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), are involved in the activation of Nrf2 by ISPP. Taken together, our results demonstrate that ISPP has a cytoprotective effect against oxidative damage mediated through Nrf2 activation and induction of its target gene expression in hepatocytes.

Licochalcone Suppresses LXRα-Induced Hepatic Lipogenic Gene Expression through AMPK/Sirt1 Pathway Activation

Licochalcone (LC), a major phenolic retrochalcone from licorice, has anti-inflammatory activity. This study investigated the effects of licochalcone A (LCA) and licochalcone E (LCE) on Liver X receptor-α (LXRα)-mediated lipogenic gene expression and the molecular mechanisms underlying those effects. LCA and LCE antagonized the ability of LXRα agonists (T0901317 or GW3965) to increase sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) expression and thereby inhibited target gene expression (e.g., FAS and ACC) in HepG2 cells. Moreover, treatment with LCA and LCE impaired LXRα/RXRα-induced CYP7A1-LXRE-luciferase (CYP7A1) transactivation. The AMPK-Sirt1 signaling pathway is an important regulator of energy metabolism and, therefore, a potential therapeutic target for metabolic diseases, including hepatic steatosis. We found here that LCE increased AMPK phosphorylation and Sirt1 expression. We conclude that LC inhibits SREBP-1c-mediated hepatic lipogenesis via activation of the AMPK/Sirt1 signaling pathway.

Sestrin2 protects against acetaminophen-induced liver injury

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose accounts for half of the cases of acute liver failure worldwide. We previously reported that Sestrin2 (Sesn2) protects against d-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide-induced acute fulminant liver failure. In this study, we demonstrated that Sesn2 protects APAP-induced liver injury in mice, using a recombinant adenovirus encoding Sesn2 (Ad-Sesn2). First, we found that treatment of mice with toxic levels of APAP significantly reduced Sesn2 expression. Tail-vein injection with Ad-Sesn2 inhibited APAP-induced serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels and markedly reduced hepatocyte degeneration and inflammatory cell infiltration. Additionally, APAP-induced glutathione depletion and reactive oxygen species generation were inhibited by Ad-Sesn2 treatment. Consistently, hepatic inflammatory gene expression and proinflammatory cytokine levels were also inhibited in Sesn2-infected mice, and we observed reduced APAP-mediated apoptotic signaling by terminal transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining of the hepatic tissue. At a high dose of APAP, the mortality rate of Ad-Sesn2-infected mice was significantly lower than that of control mice. Furthermore, Sesn2 prevented APAP-induced damage through suppression of downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway activation. Therefore, Sesn2 exerted a protective effect against APAP-induced acute liver damage by inhibiting oxidative stress and proinflammatory signaling.

Alginate oligosaccharide enhances LDL uptake via regulation of LDLR and PCSK9 expression

The hepatic low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor (LDLR) plays a crucial role in lipoprotein metabolism by lowering the plasma LDL-cholesterol concentration, which reduces the risk for cardiovascular diseases. Although alginate oligosaccharide (AOS), prepared from degradation, has several pharmacological effects, it is not known whether AOS affects lipoprotein metabolism. This study was conducted to investigate whether AOS up-regulated LDLR expression and LDL uptake in vitro and in vivo, and the underlying molecular mechanism. We found that AOS increased LDLR expression and intracellular uptake of LDL by hepatocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. It is well established that sterol-responsive element binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) is an essential transcription factor for LDLR gene expression. AOS enhanced SREBP-2 nuclear translocation and mRNA levels. The specific role of SREBP-2 activation in AOS-induced LDLR expression was verified using an LDLR promoter construct with a sterol response element deletion. The activation of SREBP-2 by AOS is mediated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/glycogen synthase kinase 3β pathways. Furthermore, we found that expression of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a crucial modulator of LDLR, was down-regulated by AOS; this related to the inhibition of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1α. Treatment of mice with AOS for 2 weeks stimulated LDLR expression and reduced PCSK9 expression, resulting in decreased plasma LDL-cholesterol levels. We conclude that AOS lowered plasma LDL-cholesterol levels through regulation LDLR expression. This effect was dependent on SREBP-2 and PCSK9.