1. Academic Validation
  2. N-n-Butyl haloperidol iodide ameliorates liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell activation in mice

N-n-Butyl haloperidol iodide ameliorates liver fibrosis and hepatic stellate cell activation in mice

  • Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2022 Jan;43(1):133-145. doi: 10.1038/s41401-021-00630-7.
Dai-Fei Shen 1 He Cheng 2 Bo-Zhi Cai 3 Wen-Feng Cai 1 Bin Wang 1 Qing Zhu 1 Yue-Bin Wu 1 Man Liu 1 Run-Ji Chen 1 Fen-Fei Gao 1 Yan-Mei Zhang 1 Yong-Dong Niu 1 Gang-Gang Shi 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pharmacology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China.
  • 2 Qingyuan Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Qingyuan, 511515, China.
  • 3 Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China.
  • 4 Department of Pharmacology, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, 515041, China. ggshi@stu.edu.cn.
Abstract

N-n-Butyl haloperidol iodide (F2) is a novel compound that has antiproliferative and antifibrogenic activities. In this study we investigated the therapeutic potential of F2 against liver fibrosis in mice and the underlying mechanisms. Two widely used mouse models of fibrosis was established in mice by injection of either carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) or thioacetamide (TAA). The mice received F2 (0.75, 1.5 or 3 mg·kg-1·d-1, ip) for 4 weeks of fibrosis induction. We showed that F2 administration dose-dependently ameliorated CCl4- or TAA-induced liver fibrosis, evidenced by significant decreases in collagen deposition and c-Jun, TGF-β Receptor II (TGFBR2), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and collagen I expression in the liver. In transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)-stimulated LX-2 cells (a human hepatic stellate cell line) and primary mouse hepatic stellate cells, treatment with F2 (0.1, 1, 10 μM) concentration-dependently inhibited the expression of α-SMA, and collagen I. In LX-2 cells, F2 inhibited TGF-β/Smad signaling through reducing the levels of TGFBR2; pretreatment with LY2109761 (TGF-β signaling inhibitor) or SP600125 (c-Jun signaling inhibitor) markedly inhibited TGF-β1-induced induction of α-SMA and collagen I. Knockdown of c-Jun decreased TGF-β signaling genes, including TGFBR2 levels. We revealed that c-Jun was bound to the TGFBR2 promoter, whereas F2 suppressed the binding of c-Jun to the TGFBR2 promoter to restrain TGF-β signaling and inhibit α-SMA and collagen I upregulation. In conclusion, the therapeutic benefit of F2 against liver fibrosis results from inhibition of c-Jun expression to reduce TGFBR2 and concomitant reduction of the responsiveness of hepatic stellate cells to TGF-β1. F2 may thus be a potentially new effective pharmacotherapy for human liver fibrosis.

Keywords

N-n-butyl haloperidol iodide; TGF-β signaling; TGFBR2; antifibrotic; c-Jun; human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2; liver fibrosis.

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