Cited by 316Liver Disease Diagnosis and TreatmentLiver physiology and pathologyCholesterol and Lipid Metabolism

Free cholesterol accumulation in hepatic stellate cells: Mechanism of liver fibrosis aggravation in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in mice

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Tomita, Kengo, Teratani, Toshiaki, Suzuki, Takahiro, Shimizu, Motonori, Sato, Hirokazu, Narimatsu, Kazuyuki, Okada, Yoshikiyo, Kurihara, Chie +15 more·2014·Hepatology

Abstract

Although nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with hypercholesterolemia, the underlying mechanisms of this association have not been clarified. We aimed to elucidate the precise role of cholesterol in the pathophysiology of NASH. C57BL/6 mice were fed a control, high-cholesterol (HC), methionine-choline-deficient (MCD), or MCD+HC diet for 12 weeks or a control, HC, high-fat (HF), or HF+HC diet for 24 weeks. Increased cholesterol intake accelerated liver fibrosis in both the mouse models without affecting the degree of hepatocellular injury or Kupffer cell activation. The major causes of the accelerated liver fibrosis involved free cholesterol (FC) accumulation in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which increased Toll-like receptor 4 protein (TLR4) levels through suppression of the endosomal-lysosomal degradation pathway of TLR4, and thereby sensitized the cells to transforming growth factor (TGF)β-induced activation by down-regulating the expression of bone morphogenetic protein and activin membrane-bound inhibitor. Mammalian-cell cholesterol levels are regulated by way of a feedback mechanism mediated by sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2), maintaining cellular cholesterol homeostasis. Nevertheless, HSCs were sensitive to FC accumulation because the high intracellular expression ratio of SREBP cleavage-activating protein (Scap) to insulin-induced gene (Insig) disrupted the SREBP2-mediated feedback regulation of cholesterol homeostasis in these cells. HSC activation subsequently enhanced the disruption of the feedback system by Insig-1 down-regulation. In addition, the suppression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ signaling accompanying HSC activation enhanced both SREBP2 and microRNA-33a signaling. Consequently, FC accumulation in HSCs increased and further sensitized these cells to TGFβ-induced activation in a vicious cycle, leading to exaggerated liver fibrosis in NASH. Conclusion : These characteristic mechanisms of FC accumulation in HSCs are potential targets to treat liver fibrosis in liver diseases including NASH.

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Crossref · 10.1002/hep.26604

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  • High cholesterol and free cholesterol accumulation in HSCs in MCD MASH mice increases TLR4 and sensitizes the cells to TGFβ-induced activation.

    “High concentrations of cholesterol and free cholesterol accumulate in HSCs in methionine-choline deficient (MCD) MASH mice, which increases toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and sensitizes the cells to TGFβ–induced activation (148).”
  • Cholesterol accumulation in cultured HSCs increases TLR4 abundance by suppressing endosomal degradation, sensitizing the cells to TGFβ-induced activation.

    “Mechanistically, cholesterol accumulation in cultured HSCs has been found to increase TLR4 abundance by suppressing its endosomal degradation, which sensitizes these cells to TGFβ-induced activation (148).”
  • Studies in different mouse strains show that plasma cholesterol strongly correlates with fibrosis extent, and high-cholesterol supplementation increases fibrosis.

    “Studies on different strains of mice have shown that plasma cholesterol strongly correlates with the extent of fibrosis, and mice supplemented with high cholesterol develop increased fibrosis (148, 186).”
  • TLR4 knockout MCD mice are protected against the profibrotic effect of cholesterol supplementation.

    “In vivo studies have confirmed that TLR4 knockout MCD mice are protected against the profibrotic effect of cholesterol supplementation (187).”

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Authors
Tomita, K., Teratani, T., Suzuki, T., Shimizu, M., Sato, H., Narimatsu, K., Okada, Y., Kurihara, C., Irie, R., Yokoyama, H., Shimamura, K., Usui, S., Ebinuma, H., Saito, H., Watanabe, C., Komoto, S., Kawaguchi, A., Nagao, S., Sugiyama, K., Hokari, R., Kanai, T., Miura, S., & Hibi, T.
Affiliations
  • Keio University (JP)
  • National Defense Medical College (JP)
  • Kawasaki Municipal Hospital (JP)
Corresponding author
Tomita, Kengo
Venue
Hepatology
Published
2014-01
Volume
59
Issue
1
Pages
154-169
ISSN
0270-9139 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2155259249
Cited by
315
References
21
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 33 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 1
FWCI
12.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Hepatology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Keio University
  • Saitama Medical University
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (23590551, 24390190)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Liver Disease Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Hepatology › Liver physiology and pathology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Cholesterol and Lipid Metabolism
Keywords
free cholesterol, hepatic stellate cells, liver fibrosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, hypercholesterolemia, TLR4, TGF-beta signaling, SREBP2, cholesterol homeostasis, PPARγ, methionine-choline-deficient diet, high-fat diet, Kupffer cells
MeSH terms
Animals, Cholesterol, Disease Models, Animal, Fatty Liver, Liver Cirrhosis, Macrophage Activation, Male, Membrane Proteins, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Receptors, LDL, RNA, Messenger, Signal Transduction, Down-Regulation, Up-Regulation, Transforming Growth Factor beta, MicroRNAs, PPAR gamma, Toll-Like Receptor 4, Mice, Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 2, Hepatic Stellate Cells

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