Browsing by Subject "fibrosis"
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Item 17β-Estradiol mediates superior adaptation of right ventricular function to acute strenuous exercise in female rats with severe pulmonary hypertension(APS Journals, 2016-08-01) Lahm, Tim; Frump, Andrea L.; Albrecht, Marjorie E.; Fisher, Amanda J.; Cook, Todd G.; Jones, Thomas J.; Yakubov, Bakhtiyor; Whitson, Jordan; Fuchs, Robyn K.; Liu, Aiping; Chesler, Naomi C.; Brown, M. Beth; Medicine, School of Medicine17β-Estradiol (E2) exerts protective effects on right ventricular (RV) function in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Since acute exercise-induced increases in afterload may lead to RV dysfunction in PAH, we sought to determine whether E2 allows for superior RV adaptation after an acute exercise challenge. We studied echocardiographic, hemodynamic, structural, and biochemical markers of RV function in male and female rats with sugen/hypoxia (SuHx)-induced pulmonary hypertension, as well as in ovariectomized (OVX) SuHx females, with or without concomitant E2 repletion (75 μg·kg−1·day−1) immediately after 45 min of treadmill running at 75% of individually determined maximal aerobic capacity (75% aerobic capacity reserve). Compared with males, intact female rats exhibited higher stroke volume and cardiac indexes, a strong trend for better RV compliance, and less pronounced increases in indexed total pulmonary resistance. OVX abrogated favorable RV adaptations, whereas E2 repletion after OVX markedly improved RV function. E2's effects on pulmonary vascular remodeling were complex and less robust than its RV effects. Postexercise hemodynamics in females with endogenous or exogenous E2 were similar to hemodynamics in nonexercised controls, whereas OVX rats exhibited more severely altered postexercise hemodynamics. E2 mediated inhibitory effects on RV fibrosis and attenuated increases in RV collagen I/III ratio. Proapoptotic signaling, endothelial nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation, and autophagic flux markers were affected by E2 depletion and/or repletion. Markers of impaired autophagic flux correlated with endpoints of RV structure and function. Endogenous and exogenous E2 exerts protective effects on RV function measured immediately after an acute exercise challenge. Harnessing E2's mechanisms may lead to novel RV-directed therapies.Item Biliary damage and liver fibrosis are ameliorated in a novel mouse model lacking l-histidine decarboxylase/histamine signaling(Nature Publishing Group, 2020-02-13) Kennedy, Lindsey; Meadows, Vik; Demieville, Jennifer; Hargrove, Laura; Virani, Shohaib; Glaser, Shannon; Zhou, Tianhao; Rinehart, Evan; Jaeger, Victoria; Kyritsi, Konstantina; Pham, Linh; Alpini, Gianfranco; Francis, Heather; Medicine, School of MedicinePrimary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is characterized by biliary damage and fibrosis. Multidrug resistance-2 gene knockout (Mdr2−/−) mice and PSC patients have increased histamine (HA) levels (synthesized by l-histidine decarboxylase, HDC) and HA receptor (HR) expression. Cholestatic HDC−/− mice display ameliorated biliary damage and hepatic fibrosis. The current study evaluated the effects of knockout of HDC−/− in Mdr2−/− mice (DKO) on biliary damage and hepatic fibrosis. WT, Mdr2−/− mice and homozygous DKO mice were used. Selected DKO mice were treated with HA. We evaluated liver damage along with HDC expression and HA serum levels. Changes in ductular reaction were evaluated along with liver fibrosis, inflammation and bile acid signaling pathways. The expression of H1HR/PKC-α/TGF-β1 and H2HR/pERK/VEGF-C was determined. In vitro, cholangiocyte lines were treated with HA with/without H1/H2 inhibitors before measuring: H1/H2HR, TGF-β1 and VEGF-C expression. Knockout of HDC ameliorates hepatic damage, ductular reaction, fibrosis, inflammation, bile acid signaling and H1HR/PKC-α/TGF-β1 and H2HR/pERK/VEGF-C signaling. Reactivation of the HDC/HA axis increased these parameters. In vitro, stimulation with HA increased HR expression and PKC-α, TGF-β1 and VEGF-C expression, which was reduced with HR inhibitors. Our data demonstrate the key role for the HDC/HA axis in the management of PSC progression.Item CERE-120 Prevents Irradiation-Induced Hypofunction and Restores Immune Homeostasis in Porcine Salivary Glands(Elsevier, 2020-09-11) Lombaert, Isabelle M. A.; Patel, Vaishali N.; Jones, Christina E.; Villier, Derrick C.; Canada, Ashley E.; Moore, Matthew R.; Berenstein, Elsa; Zheng, Changyu; Goldsmith, Corinne M.; Chorini, John A.; Martin, Daniel; Zourelias, Lee; Trombetta, Mark G.; Edwards, Paul C.; Meyer, Kathleen; Ando, Dale; Passineau, Michael J.; Hoffman, Matthew P.; Oral Pathology, Medicine and Radiology, School of DentistrySalivary gland hypofunction causes significant morbidity and loss of quality of life for head and neck cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. Preventing hypofunction is an unmet therapeutic need. We used an adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) vector expressing the human neurotrophic factor neurturin (CERE-120) to treat murine submandibular glands either pre- or post-irradiation (IR). Treatment with CERE-120 pre-IR, not post-IR, prevented hypofunction. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis showed reduced gene expression associated with fibrosis and the innate and humoral immune responses. We then used a minipig model with CERE-120 treatment pre-IR and also compared outcomes of the contralateral non-IR gland. Analysis of gene expression, morphology, and immunostaining showed reduced IR-related immune responses and improved secretory mechanisms. CERE-120 prevented IR-induced hypofunction and restored immune homeostasis, and there was a coordinated contralateral gland response to either damage or treatment. CERE-120 gene therapy is a potential treatment for head and neck cancer patients to influence communication among neuronal, immune, and epithelial cells to prevent IR-induced salivary hypofunction and restore immune homeostasis.Item Change in Platelet Count after Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt Creation: An Advancing Liver Therapeutic Approaches (ALTA) Group Study(Elsevier, 2023) Wong, Randi J.; Ge, Jin; Boike, Justin; German, Margarita; Morelli, Giuseppe; Spengler, Erin; Said, Adnan; Desai, Archita; Couri, Thomas; Paul, Sonali; Frenette, Catherine; Verna, Elizabeth C.; Goel, Aparna; Fallon, Michael; Thornburg, Bartley; VanWagner, Lisa; Lai, Jennifer C.; Kolli, K. Pallav; Medicine, School of MedicinePurpose To evaluate recovery of platelet count after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation and patient factors predicting platelet recovery after TIPS creation. Materials and Methods Adults with cirrhosis who underwent TIPS creation at 9 U.S. hospitals from 2010 to 2015 were included in this retrospective analysis. Change in platelets from before TIPS to 4 months after TIPS creation was characterized. Logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with top quartile percentage platelet increase after TIPS. Subgroup analyses were performed among patients with a pre-TIPS platelet count of ≤50 ×109/L. Results A total of 601 patients were included. The median absolute change in platelets was 1 × 109/L (−26 × 109/L to 25 × 109/L). Patients with top quartile percent platelet increase experienced ≥32% platelet increase. In multivariable analysis, pre-TIPS platelet counts (odds ratio [OR], 0.97 per 109/L; 95% CI, 0.97–0.98), age (OR, 1.24 per 5 years; 95% CI, 1.10–1.39), and pre-TIPS model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) scores (OR, 1.06 per point; 95% CI, 1.02–1.09) were associated with top quartile (≥32%) platelet increase. Ninety-four (16%) patients had a platelet count of ≤50 × 109/L before TIPS. The median absolute platelet change was 14 × 109/L (2 × 109/L to 34 × 109/L). Fifty-four percent of patients in this subgroup were in the top quartile for platelet increase. In multivariable logistic regression, age (OR, 1.50 per 5 years; 95% CI, 1.11–2.02) was the only factor associated with top quartile platelet increase in this subgroup. Conclusions TIPS creation did not result in significant platelet increase, except among patients with a platelet count of ≤50 × 109/L before TIPS. Lower pre-TIPS platelet counts, older age, and higher pre-TIPS MELD scores were associated with top quartile (≥32%) platelet increase in the entire cohort, whereas only older age was associated with this outcome in the patient subset with a pre-TIPS platelet count of ≤50 × 109/L.Item Constitutive overexpression of periostin delays wound healing in mouse skin(Wiley, 2018) Nunomura, Satoshi; Nanri, Yasuhiro; Ogawa, Masahiro; Arima, Kazuhiko; Mitamura, Yasutaka; Yoshihara, Tomohito; Hasuwa, Hidetoshi; Conway, Simon J.; Izuhara, Kenji; Pediatrics, School of MedicinePeriostin is a matricellular protein involved in development, maintenance and regulation of tissues and organs via by binding to cell surface integrin receptors. Pathologically, periostin plays an important role in the process of wound healing: as a deficiency of the Postn gene delays wound closure and periostin is consistently upregulated in response to injury and skin diseases. However, the functional role of elevated periostin in the process of wound healing has not been tested. In this study, we generated Postn-transgenic mice under the control of the CAG promoter/enhancer to investigate the effects of constitutive overexpression of full length periostin during its pathophysiological roles. Transgenic mice showed significant overexpression of periostin in skin, lung, and heart, but no morphological changes were observed. However, when these transgenic mice were injured, periostin overexpression delayed the closure of excisional wounds. Expression of IL-1β and TNFα, pro-inflammatory cytokines important for wound healing, was significantly decreased in the transgenic mice, prior to delayed healing. Infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, the main sources of IL-1β and TNFα, was also downregulated in the transgenic wound sites. From these data, we conclude that enforced expression of periostin delays wound closure due to reduced infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages followed by downregulation of IL-1β and TNFα expression. This suggests that regulated spatiotemporal expression of periostin is important for efficient wound healing and that constitutive periostin overexpression interrupts the normal process of wound closure.Item Daily Aspirin Use Reduces Risk of Fibrosis Progression in Patients With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Providing New Uses for an Old Drug(Elsevier, 2019) Vilar-Gomez, Eduardo; Chalasani, Naga; Medicine, School of MedicineItem Downregulation of hepatic stem cell factor by Vivo-Morpholino treatment inhibits mast cell migration and decreases biliary damage/senescence and liver fibrosis in Mdr2−/− mice(Elsevier, 2019) Meadows, Vik; Kennedy, Lindsey; Hargrove, Laura; Demieville, Jennifer; Meng, Fanyin; Virani, Shohaib; Reinhart, Evan; Kyritsi, Konstantina; Invernizzi, Pietro; Yang, Zhihong; Wu, Nan; Liangpunsakul, Suthat; Alpini, Gianfranco; Francis, Heather; Medicine, School of MedicineIntroduction Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is characterized by increased mast cell (MC) infiltration, biliary damage and hepatic fibrosis. Cholangiocytes secrete stem cell factor (SCF), which is a chemoattractant for c-kit expressed on MCs. We aimed to determine if blocking SCF inhibits MC migration, biliary damage and hepatic fibrosis. Methods FVB/NJ and Mdr2−/− mice were treated with Mismatch or SCF Vivo-Morpholinos. We measured (i) SCF expression and secretion; (ii) hepatic damage; (iii) MC migration/activation and histamine signaling; (iv) ductular reaction and biliary senescence; and (v) hepatic fibrosis. In human PSC patients, SCF expression and secretion were measured. In vitro, cholangiocytes were evaluated for SCF expression and secretion. Biliary proliferation/senescence was measured in cholangiocytes pretreated with 0.1% BSA or the SCF inhibitor, ISK03. Cultured HSCs were stimulated with cholangiocyte supernatant and activation measured. MC migration was determined with cholangiocytes pretreated with BSA or ISK03 loaded into the bottom of Boyden chambers and MCs into top chamber. Results Biliary SCF expression and SCF serum levels increase in human PSC. Cholangiocytes, but not hepatocytes, from SCF Mismatch Mdr2−/− mice have increased SCF expression and secretion. Inhibition of SCF in Mdr2−/− mice reduced (i) hepatic damage; (ii) MC migration; (iii) histamine and SCF serum levels; and (iv) ductular reaction/biliary senescence/hepatic fibrosis. In vitro, cholangiocytes express and secrete SCF. Blocking biliary SCF decreased MC migration, biliary proliferation/senescence, and HSC activation. Conclusion Cholangiocytes secrete increased levels of SCF inducing MC migration, contributing to biliary damage/hepatic fibrosis. Targeting MC infiltration may be an option to ameliorate PSC progression.Item Loss of Endothelial TSPAN12 Promotes Fibrostenotic Eosinophilic Esophagitis via Endothelial Cell–Fibroblast Crosstalk(AGA, 2022-02) Shoda, Tetsuo; Wen, Ting; Caldwell, Julie M.; Morgenstern, Netali Ben-Baruch; Osswald, Garrett A.; Rochman, Mark; Mack, Lydia E.; Felton, Jennifer M.; Abonia, J. Pablo; Arva, Nicoleta C.; Atkina, Dan; Bonis, Peter A.; Capocelli, Kelley E.; Collins, Margaret H.; Dellon, Evan S.; Falk, Gary W.; Gonsalves, Nirmala; Gupta, Sandeep K.; Hirano, Ikuo; Leung, John; Menard-Katcher, Paul A.; Mukkada, Vincent A.; Putnam, Philip E.; Rudman Spergel, Amanda K.; Spergel, Jonathan M.; Wechsler, Joshua B.; Yang, Guang-Yu; Aceves, Seema S.; Furuta, Glenn T.; Rothenberg, Marc E.; Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) Investigators Group; Medicine, School of MedicineBackground & Aims Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) can progress to fibrostenosis by unclear mechanisms. Herein, we investigated gene dysregulation in fibrostenotic EoE, its association with clinical parameters and specific pathways, and the functional consequences. Methods Esophageal biopsies from subjects with EoE were collected across 11 Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) sites (n = 311) and two independent replication cohorts (n = 83). Inclusion criteria for fibrostenotic EoE were endoscopic rings, stricture, and/or a history of dilation. Endoscopic, histologic, and molecular features were assessed by the EoE endoscopic reference score (EREFS), EoE Histology Scoring System (HSS), EoE Diagnostic Panel (EDP), and RNA sequencing. Esophageal endothelial TSPAN12 expression and functional effects on barrier integrity and gene expression were analyzed in vitro. Results TSPAN12 was the gene most correlated with fibrostenosis (r = -0.40, P < .001). TSPAN12 was lower in fibrostenotic EoE and correlated with EREFS, EDP, and HSS (r = 0.34–0.47, P < .001). Lower TSPAN12 associated with smaller esophageal diameter (r = 0.44, P = .03), increased lamina propria fibrosis (r = -0.41, P < .001), and genes enriched in cell cycle–related pathways. IL-13 reduced TSPAN12 expression in endothelial cells. Conversely, anti-IL-13 therapy increased TSPAN12 expression. TSPAN12 gene silencing increased endothelial cell permeability and dysregulated genes associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) pathways. Endothelial cell–fibroblast crosstalk induced ECM changes relevant to esophageal remodeling. Conclusions Patients with fibrostenotic EoE express decreased levels of endothelial TSPAN12. We propose that IL-13 decreases TSPAN12, likely contributing to the chronicity of EoE by promoting tissue remodeling through fibroblast-endothelial cell crosstalk.Item Origin, development, and differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts(Elsevier, 2014-05) Lajiness, Jacquelyn D.; Conway, Simon J.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of MedicineCardiac fibroblasts are the most abundant cell in the mammalian heart. While they have been historically underappreciated in terms of their functional contributions to cardiac development and physiology, they and their activated form, myofibroblasts, are now known to play key roles in both development and disease through structural, paracrine, and electrical interactions with cardiomyocytes. The lack of specific markers for fibroblasts currently convolutes the study of this dynamic cell lineage, but advances in marker analysis and lineage mapping technologies are continuously being made. Understanding how to best utilize these tools, both individually and in combination, will help to elucidate the functional significance of fibroblast-cardiomyocyte interactions in vivo. Here we review what is currently known about the diverse roles played by cardiac fibroblasts and myofibroblasts throughout development and periods of injury with the intent of emphasizing the duality of their nature.Item PNPLA3 rs738409 and Risk of Fibrosis in NAFLD: Exploring Mediation Pathways Through Intermediate Histological Features(Wiley, 2022) Vilar-Gomez, Eduardo; Pirola, Carlos J.; Sookoian, Silvia; Wilson, Laura A.; Liang, Tiebing; Chalasani, Naga; Medicine, School of MedicineBackground & Aims It is unclear whether rs738409 (p.I148M) missense variant in patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 promotes fibrosis development by triggering specific fibrogenic pathways or by creating an unfavorable microenvironment by promoting steatosis, inflammation, and ultimately fibrosis. We tested the hypothesis that intermediate histologic traits, including steatosis, lobular and portal inflammation, and ballooning may determine the effect of rs738409 on liver fibrosis among individuals with biopsy-proven NAFLD. Approach and Results Causal mediation models including multiple mediators in parallel or sequentially were performed to examine the effect of rs738409, by decomposing its total effect on fibrosis severity into direct and indirect effects, mediated by histology traits in 1153 Non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients. Total effect of rs738409 on fibrosis was β=0.19 (95% CI: 0.09-0.29). The direct effect of rs738409 on fibrosis upon removing mediators' effects was β=0.09 (95% CI: 0.01-0.17) and the indirect effect of rs738409 on fibrosis through all mediators' effects were β=0.010 (95% CI: 0.04-0.15). Among all mediators, the greatest estimated effect size was displayed by portal inflammation (β=0.09, 95% CI: 0.05-0.12). Among different sequential combinations of histology traits, the path including lobular inflammation followed by ballooning degeneration displayed the most significant indirect effect (β=0.023, 95% CI: 0.011-0.037). Mediation analysis in a separate group of 404 individuals with biopsy-proven NAFLD from other races and ethnicity showed similar results. Conclusions In NAFLD, nearly half of the total effect of the rs738409 G allele on fibrosis severity could be explained by a direct pathway, suggesting that rs738409 may promote fibrosis development by activating specific fibrogenic pathways. A large proportion of the indirect effect of rs738409 on fibrosis severity is mediated through portal inflammation.