Therapeutic inhibition of miR-155 attenuates liver fibrosis via STAT3 signaling
Bala, Shashi ; Zhuang, Yuan ; Nagesh, Prashanth Thevkar ; Catalano, Donna ; Zivny, Adam ; Wang, Yanbo ; Xie, Jun ; Gao, Guangping ; Szabo, Gyongyi
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Abstract
Most chronic liver diseases progress to liver fibrosis, which, when left untreated, can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. MicroRNA (miRNA)-targeted therapeutics have become attractive approaches to treat diseases. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effect of miR-155 inhibition in the bile duct ligation (BDL) mouse model of liver fibrosis and evaluated the role of miR-155 in chronic liver fibrosis using miR-155-deficient (miR-155 knockout [KO]) mice. We found increased hepatic miR-155 expression in patients with cirrhosis and in the BDL- and CCl-induced mouse models of liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis was significantly reduced in miR-155 KO mice after CCl administration or BDL. To assess the therapeutic potential of miR-155 inhibition, we administered an rAAV8-anti-miR-155 tough decoy that significantly reduced liver damage and fibrosis in BDL. BDL-induced protein levels of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), p-SMAD2/3, and p-STAT3 were attenuated in anti-miR-155-treated compared with control mice. Hepatic stellate cells from miR-155 KO mice showed attenuation in activation and mesenchymal marker expression. , miR-155 gain- and loss-of-function studies revealed that miR-155 regulates activation of stellate cells partly via STAT3 signaling. Our study suggests that miR-155 is the key regulator of liver fibrosis and might be a potential therapeutic target to attenuate fibrosis progression.
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Bala S, Zhuang Y, Nagesh PT, Catalano D, Zivny A, Wang Y, Xie J, Gao G, Szabo G. Therapeutic inhibition of miR-155 attenuates liver fibrosis via STAT3 signaling. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids. 2023 Jul 15;33:413-427. doi: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.07.012. PMID: 37547286; PMCID: PMC10403732.