Research Article Details

Article ID: A00041
PMID: 35247611
Source: Mol Metab
Title: Serum Amyloid A1 Exacerbates Hepatic Steatosis via TLR4 Mediated NF-κB Signaling Pathway.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Chronic inflammatory response plays a prominent role in obesity-related non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, the intrahepatic triggering mechanism of inflammation remains obscure. This study aimed to elucidate the role of serum amyloid A1 (SAA1), an acute-phase response protein, in the obesity-induced hepatic inflammation and NAFLD. METHODS: Male mice were fed a high fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks and insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis and inflammation in mice were monitored. Murine SAA1/2 was genetically manipulated to investigate the role of SAA1 in NAFLD. RESULTS: We finds that SAA1 was increased in the NAFLD liver in both humans and mice. Knockout of SAA1/2 or knockdown of hepatic SAA1/2 promoted energy expenditure and alleviated HFD-induced metabolic disorder, hepatic steatosis and inflammation. Endogenous overexpression of SAA1 in hepatocytes by adeno-associated virus 8 (AAV8) transfection aggravated overnutrition-associated gain of body weight, insulin resistance, hepatic lipid accumulation, and liver injury, which were markedly alleviated by knockout of murine toll like receptor 4 (TLR4). Mechanistically, SAA1 directly bound with TLR4/myeloid differentiation 2 (MD2) to induce TLR4 internalization, leading to activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling and production of both SAA1 and other inflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-6 and C-C chemokine ligand (CCL2) in hepatocytes. Administration of HFD mice by an AAV8-shRNA-SAA1/2 showed a therapeutic effect on hepatic inflammation and NAFLD progression. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: These results demonstrate that SAA1 triggers hepatic steatosis and intrahepatic inflammatory response by forming a SAA1/TLR4/NF-κB/SAA1 feedforward regulatory circuit, which, in turn, leads to NAFLD progression. SAA1 may act as a potential target for the disease intervention.
DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101462