Vanillic acid alleviates liver fibrosis through inhibiting autophagy in hepatic stellate cells via the MIF/CD74 signaling pathway.

Abstract

MIF/CD74 signaling pathway and autophagy may be closely related to liver fibrosis. Vanillic acid (VA) is likely to have an anti-liver fibrosis effect, although related studies have not been reported. The aim of this study was to verify the role of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) autophagy and the MIF/CD74 signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, and to investigate the effect of VA on liver fibrosis through in vivo and in vitro experiments. Our results showed that VA significantly attenuated CCl4-induced liver fibrosis. The alleviation of liver fibrosis with VA treatment was associated with a reduction of MIF, CD74, α-SMA, LC3B and Collagen 1. In addition, VA, MIF inhibitor (ISO-1) and autophagy inhibitor (3-MA) markedly inhibited the proliferation and migration of HSCs. This study indicates that VA could protect against HSCs activation, proliferation and migration by inhibiting the autophagy in HSCs via the MIF/CD74 signaling pathway so that alleviates liver fibrosis.

• Authors: Lifeng Qin, Jiawu Tan, Xiaoping Lv, Jiqiao Zhang
• Journal: Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie (Biomed Pharmacother) Vol. 168 Pg. 115673 (Dec 2023) ISSN: 1950-6007 [Electronic] France
• PMID: 37857251 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Vanillic Acid
• MIF protein, human
• Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors
• Intramolecular Oxidoreductases

Topics

• Humans
• Hepatic Stellate Cells (metabolism)
• Vanillic Acid (pharmacology)
• Liver Cirrhosis (chemically induced, drug therapy, metabolism)
• Signal Transduction
• Autophagy
• Liver
• Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors (metabolism)
• Intramolecular Oxidoreductases (metabolism)