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Targeting hepatic ceruloplasmin mitigates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis by modulating bile acid metabolism
Quanxin Jiang1,† , Ning Wang1,† , Sijia Lu1,† , Jie Xiong1 , Yanmei Yuan1,* , Junli Liu1,* , Suzhen Chen1,*
1Shanghai Diabetes Institute, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
These authors contributed equally to this work
*Correspondence to:Yanmei Yuan , Email:yuanyanmei727@126.com Junli Liu , Email:liujunli@sjtu.edu.cn Suzhen Chen , Email:cszdream@163.com
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 15, Issue 9, September 2023, mjad060,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjad060
Keyword: ceruloplasmin, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, bile acid, inflammation, fibrosis

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a condition that progresses from nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is characterized by hepatic fat accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis. It has the potential to develop into cirrhosis and liver cancer, and currently no effective pharmacological treatment is available. In this study, we investigate the therapeutic potential of targeting ceruloplasmin (Cp), a copper-containing protein predominantly secreted by hepatocytes, for treating NASH. Our result show that hepatic Cp is remarkedly upregulated in individuals with NASH and the mouse NASH model. Hepatocyte-specific Cp ablation effectively attenuates the onset of dietary-induced NASH by decreasing lipid accumulation, curbing inflammation, mitigating fibrosis, and ameliorating liver damage. By employing transcriptomics and metabolomics approaches, we have discovered that hepatic deletion of Cp brings about remarkable restoration of bile acid (BA) metabolism during NASH. Hepatic deletion of Cp effectively remodels BA metabolism by upregulating Cyp7a1 and Cyp8b1, which subsequently leads to enhanced BA synthesis and notable alterations in BA profiles. In conclusion, our studies elucidate the crucial involvement of Cp in NASH, highlighting its significance as a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of this disease.