VSL#3 probiotic treatment attenuates fibrosis without changes in steatohepatitis in a diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis model in mice
Authors
Velayudham, ArumugamDolganiuc, Angela
Ellis, Michael
Petrasek, Jan
Kodys, Karen
Mandrekar, Pranoti
Szabo, Gyongyi
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Medicine, Rheumatology DivisionDepartment of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2008-12-31Keywords
ActinsAnimals
Choline Deficiency
Collagen Type I
Diet
Disease Models, Animal
Fatty Liver
Female
Liver Cirrhosis
Matrix Metalloproteinase 2
Matrix Metalloproteinase 9
Methionine
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
NF-kappa B
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors
Probiotics
Signal Transduction
Transforming Growth Factor beta
Gastroenterology
Immunology and Infectious Disease
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its advanced stage, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), are the most common causes of chronic liver disease in the United States. NASH features the metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and fibrosis. Probiotics exhibit immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory activity. We tested the hypothesis that probiotic VSL#3 may ameliorate the methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced mouse model of NASH. MCD diet resulted in NASH in C57BL/6 mice compared to methionine-choline-supplemented (MCS) diet feeding evidenced by liver steatosis, increased triglycerides, inflammatory cell accumulation, increased tumor necrosis factor alpha levels, and fibrosis. VSL#3 failed to prevent MCD-induced liver steatosis or inflammation. MCD diet, even in the presence of VSL#3, induced up-regulation of serum endotoxin and expression of the Toll-like receptor 4 signaling components, including CD14 and MD2, MyD88 adaptor, and nuclear factor kappaB activation. In contrast, VSL#3 treatment ameliorated MCD diet-induced liver fibrosis resulting in diminished accumulation of collagen and alpha-smooth muscle actin. We identified increased expression of liver peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors and decreased expression of procollagen and matrix metalloproteinases in mice fed MCD+VSL#3 compared to MCD diet alone. MCD diet triggered up-regulation of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta), a known profibrotic agent. In the presence of VSL#3, the MCD diet-induced expression of TGFbeta was maintained; however, the expression of Bambi, a TGFbeta pseudoreceptor with negative regulatory function, was increased. In summary, our data indicate that VSL#3 modulates liver fibrosis but does not protect from inflammation and steatosis in NASH. The mechanisms of VSL#3-mediated protection from MCD diet-induced liver fibrosis likely include modulation of collagen expression and impaired TGFbeta signaling.Source
Hepatology. 2009 Mar;49(3):989-97. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1002/hep.22711Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/31140PubMed ID
19115316Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1002/hep.22711