Givinostat inhibition of hepatic stellate cell proliferation and protein acetylation

AIM: To explore the effect of the histone deacetylase inhibitor givinostat on proteins related to regulation of hepatic stellate cell proliferation.METHODS: The cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry were used to observe changes in proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle in hepatic stellate cells treated with givinostat. Western blot was used to observe expression changes in p21, p57, CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1, caspase-3, and caspase-9 in hepatic stellate cells exposed to givinostat. The scratch assay was used to analyze the effect of givinostat on cell migration. Effects of givinostat on the reactive oxygen species profile, mitochondrial membrane potential, and mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening in JS-1 cells were observed by laser confocal microscopy.RESULTS: Givinostat significantly inhibited JS-1 cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis, leading to cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phases. Treatment with givinostat downregulated protein expression of CDK4, CDK6, and cyclin D1, whereas expression of p21 and p57 was significantly increased. The givinostat-induced apoptosis of hepatic stellate cells was mainly mediatedthrough p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2. Givinostat treatment increased intracellular reactive oxygen species production, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and promoted mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening. Acetylation of superoxide dismutase(acetyl K68) and nuclear factor-κB p65(acetyl K310) was upregulated, while there was no change in protein expression. Moreover, the notable beneficial effect of givinostat on liver fibrosis was also confirmed in the mouse models.CONCLUSION: Givinostat has antifibrotic activities via regulating the acetylation of nuclear factor-κB and superoxide dismutase 2, thus inhibiting hepatic stellate cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis.

18β- glycyrrhetinic acid inhibits apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells via enhancing level of BMP-7 epigenetically through targeting HDAC2

Cisplatin （CP） , a highly effective and widely used chemotherapeutic agent, has a major limitation for its nephrotoxicity. We recently identified a novel strategy for attenuating its nephrotoxicity in chemotherapy by an ef- fective adjuvant via epigenetic modification through targeting Histone deacetylase 2 （HDAC2）. Glycyrrhizic acid （GA） ,a major active component of Licorice, was described here for its new application. Molecular docking and Surface Plasmon resonance （SPR） assay firstly reported that 18βGA, GA metabolite in vivo, could directly bind to HDAC2 and prevent HDAC2 activation. The effects and mechanisms of GA and its major metabolite 18βGA were assessed in CP-induced acute kidney injury （AKI） in C57BL/6 mice, and in CP-treated HK-2 and mTEC cells lines. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling （TUNEL） and flow cytometry （FCM） results confirmed that GA and 18βGA could inhibit apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells induced by CP in vivo and in vitro. Western blot and immunofluorescence results demonstrated that the expression of bone morphogenetic protein- 7 （BMP-7） , a protective molecule in renal inflammation, was clearly induced by 18βGA in AKI models while siR- NA BMP-7 could reduce the inhibitory effect of 18βGA on apoptosis. Results of current study indicated that 18βGA inhibited apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells via enhancing level of BMP-7 epigenetically through targeting HDAC2, therefore protecting against CP-induced AKI. These available evidence, which led to an improved under- standing of molecular recognition, suggested that 18βGA could serve as a potential clinical adjuvant in chemothera-