Acute liver injury caused by toxins or drugs is a common condition that threatens patients' lives.
Inositol-requiring
enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α), the most conserved endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of liver injury. Activated IRE1α
endoribonuclease (
RNase) can splice
X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1)
mRNA to produce the sXBP1
transcription factor.
STF-083010, a specific inhibitor of IRE1α
RNase, has recently been suggested to exhibit
anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in
multiple injury models. However, it remains unknown whether
STF-083010 has a protective effect against
thioacetamide (TAA)-induced acute liver injury. Here, we demonstrated that IRE1α-sXBP1 signaling is involved in the development of TAA-induced acute liver injury and correlates with the severity of liver damage.
STF-083010 protected against TAA-induced liver injury, as evidenced by higher survival rates in response to a lethal dose of TAA and less severe liver injury in response to a toxic dose of TAA. Mechanistic exploration showed that
STF-083010 triggered hepatocyte autophagy in response to TAA stimulation both in vivo and in vitro, leading to reduced
reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and attenuated hepatic
inflammation. We also found that
Beclin-1 played a critical role in STF-083010-mediated autophagy in response to TAA stimulation. Autophagy inhibition by
chloroquine (CQ) in vivo and
Beclin-1 knockdown in vitro markedly abrogated the protective role of
STF-083010 against TAA-induced oxidative stress,
inflammation and hepatotoxicity. Our results suggested
STF-083010 as a potential therapeutic application to prevent TAA-induced acute liver injury.