时瑞敏, 黄恺, 沈丽, 薛静波, 陶艳艳, 刘成海, 赵志敏. 阿魏酸调控肝窦内皮细胞功能抑制血管新生减轻肝纤维化J. 药学学报, 2025, 60(10): 3102-3110. DOI: 10.16438/j.0513-4870.2025-0510
引用本文: 时瑞敏, 黄恺, 沈丽, 薛静波, 陶艳艳, 刘成海, 赵志敏. 阿魏酸调控肝窦内皮细胞功能抑制血管新生减轻肝纤维化J. 药学学报, 2025, 60(10): 3102-3110. DOI: 10.16438/j.0513-4870.2025-0510
SHI Rui-min, HUANG Kai, SHEN Li, XUE Jing-bo, TAO Yan-yan, LIU Cheng-hai, ZHAO Zhi-min. Ferulic acid regulates the function of liver sinusoidal endothelial cell to inhibit angiogenesis and alleviate hepatic fibrosisJ. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica, 2025, 60(10): 3102-3110. DOI: 10.16438/j.0513-4870.2025-0510
Citation: SHI Rui-min, HUANG Kai, SHEN Li, XUE Jing-bo, TAO Yan-yan, LIU Cheng-hai, ZHAO Zhi-min. Ferulic acid regulates the function of liver sinusoidal endothelial cell to inhibit angiogenesis and alleviate hepatic fibrosisJ. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica, 2025, 60(10): 3102-3110. DOI: 10.16438/j.0513-4870.2025-0510

阿魏酸调控肝窦内皮细胞功能抑制血管新生减轻肝纤维化

Ferulic acid regulates the function of liver sinusoidal endothelial cell to inhibit angiogenesis and alleviate hepatic fibrosis

  • 摘要: 既往研究发现阿魏酸有抗肝纤维化、抑制星状细胞活化的药理作用。肝窦内皮细胞损伤、增殖、毛细血管化是肝纤维化时血管新生的重要形式, 又是肝纤维化难以逆转的重要病理基础。本研究观察阿魏酸调控肝窦内皮细胞功能抑制血管新生的作用, 探究其抗肝纤维化机制。体外实验以氯化钴诱导SK-HEP-1细胞缺氧损伤, 内皮细胞生长因子(endothelial cell growth supplement, ECGs) 诱导人肝窦内皮细胞(human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells, HHSEC) 增殖, 阿魏酸干预细胞模型后, MTT法观察细胞活力, 荧光探针法检测内皮细胞一氧化氮(nitric oxide, NO) 及一氧化氮合酶(nitric oxide synthase, NOS) 水平, 并通过HHSEC管腔形成实验和转基因斑马鱼(VEGFR: GFP) 血管新生模型进行验证。动物实验遵循上海中医药大学动物伦理委员会规定(批准号: PZSHUTCM2503280008)。以四氯化碳(CCl4) 腹腔注射6周诱导小鼠肝纤维化, 从第4周开始, 各药物干预组分别给予索拉非尼(10 mg·kg-1)、阿魏酸50和100 mg·kg-1灌胃, 持续3周。通过血清生化检测, 肝组织苏木精-伊红染色(hematoxylin-eosin staining, H & E)、天狼星红染色、羟脯氨酸(hydroxyproline, HYP) 检测及免疫组化法检测α-平滑肌肌动蛋白(α-smooth muscle actin, α-SMA) 评价肝组织炎症及纤维化程度, 扫描电镜观察肝窦内皮细胞结构变化, 免疫组化法检测血小板内皮细胞黏附分子-1 (platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, PECAM-1/CD31) 和淋巴管内皮透明质酸受体1 (lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1, LYVE1) 表达。结果显示, 阿魏酸对氯化钴缺氧模型SK-HEP-1细胞具有保护作用, 显著提高细胞NO和NOS水平; 对HHSEC增殖模型及其管腔形成具有显著抑制作用; 可抑制斑马鱼功能血管数量; 并显著降低纤维化小鼠血清谷草转氨酶(aspartate aminotransferase, AST)、谷丙转氨酶(alanine aminotransferase, ALT) 水平和肝组织HYP含量, 提高白蛋白(albumin, ALB) 水平; 改善小鼠肝组织炎症浸润和肝纤维化程度, 减少α-SMA表达; 肝窦窗孔数量增加, CD31表达降低, LYVE1升高。上述结果表明, 阿魏酸可以调控肝窦内皮细胞功能, 抑制血管生成, 具有抗肝纤维化和抑制肝窦毛细血管化的作用。

     

    Abstract: Previous investigations have established that ferulic acid demonstrates anti-fibrosis effects and could inhibit the activation of hepatic stellate cell. Injury, proliferation and capillarization of hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cell are important forms of angiogenesis during liver fibrosis, and is important for liver fibrosis regression. This study investigates the effects of ferulic acid on sinusoidal capillarization and explores its anti-fibrotic mechanism. In vitro, SK-HEP-1 cells were injured by cobalt chloride, while human hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells (HHSECs) were induced by endothelial cell growth supplement (ECGs). Cell viability was detected using thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT); nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were visualized through the fluorescence probe method; antiangiogenesis effects were assessed using the tube formation assay and transgenic zebrafish (VEGFR: GFP). Animal experiments complied with the regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (approval No. PZSHUTCM2503280008). Mice were received intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 6 weeks to induce hepatic fibrosis and then treated with 10 mg·kg-1 of sorafenib, 50 and 100 mg·kg-1 of ferulic acid for 3 weeks from the fourth week. Liver inflammation and fibrosis were assessed through serum liver function alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin (ALB) tests, H & E and Sirius red staining, hydroxyproline (HYP) quantification, and the immumohistochemical staining of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Sinusoidal fenestrations were observed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the phenotype of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells were labeled by platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1/CD31) and lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (LYVE1). Results showed that ferulic acid protected SK-HEP-1 cells from CoCl2-induced hypoxic injury, significantly increased NO and NOS levels. It suppressed the proliferation and tube formation of HHSEC, and inhibited angiogenesis of VEGFR: GFP zebrafish model. In vivo experiments, ferulic acid reduced serum AST/ALT and HYP levels and increased ALB. Histopathological analyses confirmed that it reduced inflammation and fibrosis, downregulated α-SMA expression, ameliorated sinusoid capillarization and downregulated the expression of CD31 and LYVE1. These findings indicate that ferulic acid can inhibit liver fibrosis through alleviating sinusoidal capillarization.

     

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