Involvement of connexin43 in acetaminophen-induced liver injury

Author(s):Show less -

Maes, Michael ^[1] ; McGill, Mitchell R. ^{[2, 3]} ; da Silva, Tereza Cristina ^[4] ; Abels, Chloe ^{[5, 6]} ; Lebofsky, Margitta ^[3] ; Monteiro de Araujo, Cintia Maria ^[4] ; Tiburcio, Tayna ^[4] ; Alves Pereira, Isabel Veloso ^[4] ; Willebrords, Joost ^[1] ; Yanguas, Sara Crespo ^[1] ; Farhood, Anwar ^[7] ; Beschin, Alain ^{[5, 6]} ; Van Ginderachter, Jo A. ^{[5, 6]} ; Zaidan Dagli, Maria Lucia ^[4] ; Jaeschke, Hartmut ^[3] ; Cogliati, Bruno ^[4] ; Vinken, Mathieu ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Vrije Univ Brussel, Dept Vitro Toxicol & Dermatocosmetol, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels - Belgium

^[2] Washington Univ, Sch Med, Dept Pathol & Immunol, St Louis, MO - USA

^[3] Univ Kansas, Med Ctr, Dept Pharmacol Toxicol & Therapeut, Kansas City, KS - USA

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Vet Med & Anim Sci, Dept Pathol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] VIB Inflammat Res Ctr, Myeloid Cell Immunol Lab, Ghent - Belgium

^[6] Vrije Univ Brussel, Lab Cellular & Mol Immunol, Brussels - Belgium

^[7] St Davids North Austin Med Ctr, Dept Pathol, Austin, TX - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR BASIS OF DISEASE; v. 1862, n. 6, p. 1111-1121, JUN 2016.
• Web of Science Citations: 10

Abstract

Background and aims: Being goalkeepers of liver homeostasis, gap junctions are also involved in hepatotoxicity. However, their role in this process is ambiguous, as gap junctions can act as both targets and effectors of liver toxicity. This particularly holds true for drug-induced liver insults. In the present study, the involvement of connexin26, connexin32 and connexin43, the building blocks of liver gap junctions, was investigated in acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were overdosed with 300 mg/kg body weight acetaminophen followed by analysis of the expression and localization of connexins as well as monitoring of hepatic gap junction functionality. Furthermore, acetaminophen-induced liver injury was compared between mice genetically deficient in connexin43 and wild type littermates. Evaluation of the toxicological response was based on a set of clinically relevant parameters, including protein adduct formation, measurement of alanine aminotransferase activity, cytokines and glutathione. Results: It was found that gap junction communication deteriorates upon acetaminophen intoxication in wild type mice, which is associated with a switch in mRNA and protein production from connexin32 and connexin26 to connexin43. The upregulation of connexin43 expression is due, at least in part, to de novo production by hepatocytes. Connexin43-deficient animals tended to show increased liver cell death, inflammation and oxidative stress in comparison with wild type counterparts. Conclusion: These results suggest that hepatic connexin43-based signaling may protect against acetaminophen induced liver toxicity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/50420-6 - Connexin and pannexin channels as drug targets and biomarkers in acute and chronic liver disease
• Grantee: Mathieu Frederick Alexander Vinken
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - SPEC Program