Potential Contributions of the Tobacco Nicotine-Derived Nitrosamine Ketone (NNK) in the Pathogenesis of Steatohepatitis in a Chronic Plus Binge Rat Model of Alcoholic Liver Disease

AbstractAlcoholic liver disease (ALD) causes significant morbidity and mortality, and pharmacological treatment options are limited. In this study, we evaluated the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab, a monoclonal antibody that robustly reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), for the treatment of ALD using a rat model of chronic alcohol exposure. Alirocumab (50 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered weekly for 6 weeks to rats receiving a 12% alcohol liquid diet or an isocaloric control diet. At the end of the alcohol exposure protocol, serum and liver samples were obtained for molecular characterization and histopathological analysis. PCSK9 inhibition with alirocumab attenuated alcohol-induced hepatic triglyceride accumulation through regulation of lipid metabolism (mRNA expression of modulators of fatty acid synthesis (FAS) and catabolism (PPARα and CPT1)), hepatocellular injury (ALT), hepatic inflammation (mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines (TNFa, IL-1β, IL-22, IL-33, IL-17α, IL-2, MIP-2, and MCP-1), and neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase staining)). Alirocumab treatment also attenuated alcohol-induced PCSK9 mRNA elevation and upregulated LDL-receptor (LDL-R) via modulation of the transcription factors (SREBP-1, SREBP-2, and E2F1) in liver. We demonstrated that chronic anti-PCSK9 treatment using the monoclonal antibody alirocumab attenuated alcohol-induced steatohepatitis in the rat model. Given the large unmet clinical need for effective and novel treatments for ALD, anti-PCSK9 treatment with the monoclonal antibody that spares liver metabolism is a viable new therapeutic possibility. Future studies are needed to elucidate the exact role of PCSK9 in ALD and alcohol use disorder (AUD) and to evaluate efficacy and safety of anti-PCSK9 treatment in clinical populations with ALD/AUD.

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Crystalloid Inclusions in Hepatocyte Mitochondria and Their Similarity to Cytoplasmic Crystalloids

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100051001 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 198-199

Author(s):

Odell T. Minick ◽

Hidejiro Yokoo

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Alcoholic Liver Disease ◽

Special Interest ◽

Structural Variations ◽

Mitochondrial Alterations ◽

The Matrix ◽

Crystalloid Inclusions ◽

Liver Biopsies

Mitochondrial alterations were studied in 25 liver biopsies from patients with alcoholic liver disease. Of special interest were the morphologic resemblance of certain fine structural variations in mitochondria and crystalloid inclusions. Four types of alterations within mitochondria were found that seemed to relate to cytoplasmic crystalloids.Type 1 alteration consisted of localized groups of cristae, usually oriented in the long direction of the organelle (Fig. 1A). In this plane they appeared serrated at the periphery with blind endings in the matrix. Other sections revealed a system of equally-spaced diagonal lines lengthwise in the mitochondrion with cristae protruding from both ends (Fig. 1B). Profiles of this inclusion were not unlike tangential cuts of a crystalloid structure frequently seen in enlarged mitochondria described below.

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