Research Article Details
Article ID: | A04515 |
PMID: | 33591626 |
Source: | J Cell Mol Med |
Title: | Mesenchymal stromal cells protect hepatocytes from lipotoxicity through alleviation of endoplasmic reticulum stress by restoring SERCA activity. |
Abstract: | The aim of this study was to investigate how mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) modulate metabolic balance and attenuate hepatic lipotoxicity in the context of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In vivo, male SD rats were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) to develop NAFLD; then, they were treated twice by intravenous injections of rat bone marrow MSCs. In vitro, HepG2 cells were cocultured with MSCs by transwell and exposed to palmitic acid (PA) for 24 hours. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stressor thapsigargin and sarco/ER Ca2+ -ATPase (SERCA2)-specific siRNA were used to explore the regulation of ER stress by MSCs. We found that MSC administration improved hepatic steatosis, restored systemic hepatic lipid and glucose homeostasis, and inhibited hepatic ER stress in HFD-fed rats. In hepatocytes, MSCs effectively alleviated the cellular lipotoxicity. Particularly, MSCs remarkably ameliorated the ER stress and intracellular calcium homeostasis induced by either PA or thapsigargin in HepG2 cells. Additionally, long-term HFD or PA stimulation would activate pyroptosis in hepatocytes, which may contribute to the cell death and liver dysfunction during the process of NAFLD, and MSC treatment effectively ameliorates these deleterious effects. SERCA2 silencing obviously abolished the ability of MSCs against the PA-induced lipotoxicity. Conclusively, our study demonstrated that MSCs were able to ameliorate liver lipotoxicity and metabolic disturbance in the context of NAFLD, in which the regulation of ER stress and the calcium homeostasis via SERCA has played a key role. |
DOI: | 10.1111/jcmm.16338 |

Strategy ID | Therapy Strategy | Synonyms | Therapy Targets | Therapy Drugs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
S01 | Improve insulin resistance | insulin sensitizer; insulin resistance; glucose tolerance | Biguanide: increases 5-AMP activated protein kinase signaling; SGLT-2 inhibitor; Thiazalidinedione: selective PPAR-γ agonists; GLP-1 agonist | Metformin; Empagliflozin; Canagliflozin; Rosiglitazone; Pioglitazone; Liraglutide | Details |
S02 | Enhance lipid metabolism | triglyceride-lowering; lipid tolerance; lipid metabolism | 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) inhibitor; Decreases intestinal cholesterol absorption; FXR agonist; ACC inhibitor; FAS inhibitor; DGAT2 inhibitor; SCD-1 inhibitor | Atorvastatin; Ezetimibe; Obeticholic Acid; GS-9674; GS-0976; TVB-2640; IONIS-DGAT2rx; Aramchol; | Details |
S15 | Cell therapy | Mesenchymal stem cells; Stem cell therapy | -- | -- | Details |
Diseases ID | DO ID | Disease Name | Definition | Class | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I05 | 9352 | Type 2 diabetes mellitus | A diabetes that is characterized by chronic hyperglycaemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. A diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 | disease of metabolism/inherited metabolic disorder/ carbohydrate metabolic disorder/glucose metabolism disease/diabetes/ diabetes mellitus | Details |
Drug ID | Drug Name | Type | DrugBank ID | Targets | Category | Latest Progress | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D328 | Serine | Chemical drug | DB00133 | SRR | Improve insulin resistance | Under clinical trials | Details |
D589 | Minor allele-specific small interfering RNA | Miscellany | -- | PNPLA3-rs738409 (I148M) variant inhibitor | -- | Under investigation | Details |
D080 | Citrulline | Chemical drug | DB00155 | -- | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D182 | Insulin | Biological drug | DB00030 | INSR agonist; CPE modulator&product of | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |
D055 | Calcium | Chemical drug | DB01373 | CAST; COMP; CP; BMP4; MGP | -- | Under clinical trials | Details |