An effective therapeutic regimen for hepatic fibrosis requires a deep understanding of the pathogenesis mechanism.Hepatic fibrosis is characterized by activated hepatic stellate cells(aHSCs)with an excessive productio...An effective therapeutic regimen for hepatic fibrosis requires a deep understanding of the pathogenesis mechanism.Hepatic fibrosis is characterized by activated hepatic stellate cells(aHSCs)with an excessive production of extracellular matrix.Although promoted activation of HSCs by M2 macrophages has been demonstrated,the molecular mechanism involved remains ambiguous.Herein,we propose that the vitamin D receptor(VDR)involved in macrophage polarization may regulate the communication between macrophages and HSCs by changing the functions of exosomes.We confirm that activating the VDR can inhibit the effect of M2 macrophages on HSC activation.The exosomes derived from M2 macrophages can promote HSC activation,while stimulating VDR alters the protein profiles and reverses their roles in M2 macrophage exosomes.Smooth muscle cell-associated protein 5(SMAP-5)was found to be the key effector protein in promoting HSC activation by regulating autophagy flux.Building on these results,we show that a combined treatment of a VDR agonist and a macrophage-targeted exosomal secretion inhibitor achieves an excellent anti-hepatic fibrosis effect.In this study,we aim to elucidate the association between VDR and macrophages in HSC activation.The results contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis mechanism of hepatic fibrosis,and provide potential therapeutic targets for its treatment.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.81930099,81773664,82130102,92159304,81703585,and 81903651)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(Nos.BK20212011 and BK20180565)+4 种基金the Technology Innovation Project of Nucleic Acid Drug from National Center of Technology Innovation for Biopharmaceuticals(No.NCTIB2022HS01014)the“Double First-Class”University Project(No.CPU2022QZ05)the 111 Project from the Ministry of Education of China and the State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs of China(Nos.111-2-07 and B17047)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China(No.2632022ZD11)the Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines(No.SKLNMZZ202017),China.
文摘An effective therapeutic regimen for hepatic fibrosis requires a deep understanding of the pathogenesis mechanism.Hepatic fibrosis is characterized by activated hepatic stellate cells(aHSCs)with an excessive production of extracellular matrix.Although promoted activation of HSCs by M2 macrophages has been demonstrated,the molecular mechanism involved remains ambiguous.Herein,we propose that the vitamin D receptor(VDR)involved in macrophage polarization may regulate the communication between macrophages and HSCs by changing the functions of exosomes.We confirm that activating the VDR can inhibit the effect of M2 macrophages on HSC activation.The exosomes derived from M2 macrophages can promote HSC activation,while stimulating VDR alters the protein profiles and reverses their roles in M2 macrophage exosomes.Smooth muscle cell-associated protein 5(SMAP-5)was found to be the key effector protein in promoting HSC activation by regulating autophagy flux.Building on these results,we show that a combined treatment of a VDR agonist and a macrophage-targeted exosomal secretion inhibitor achieves an excellent anti-hepatic fibrosis effect.In this study,we aim to elucidate the association between VDR and macrophages in HSC activation.The results contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis mechanism of hepatic fibrosis,and provide potential therapeutic targets for its treatment.
