Propranolol, a β-adrenoceptor antagonist, worsens liver injury in a model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
•β-Blocker propranolol worsens liver injury in model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.•Mechanism of hepatic injury is via activation of apoptotic pathway in hepatocytes.•β-Blockers should be avoided or used with extreme caution in patients with NASH. Prazosin an α1-adrenoceptor (AR) antagonist has b...
Saved in:
Published in: | Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 437; no. 4; pp. 597 - 602 |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Format: | Journal Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
United States
Elsevier Inc
09-08-2013
Elsevier |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | Get full text |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Summary: | •β-Blocker propranolol worsens liver injury in model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.•Mechanism of hepatic injury is via activation of apoptotic pathway in hepatocytes.•β-Blockers should be avoided or used with extreme caution in patients with NASH.
Prazosin an α1-adrenoceptor (AR) antagonist has been shown to reduce liver injury in a mouse model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and is suggested as a potential treatment of NASH especially given its concomitant anti-fibrotic properties. The effect however, of β-AR blockade in non-cirrhotic NASH is unknown and is as such investigated here. In the presence of the β-blocker propranolol (PRL), mice fed normal chow or a half methionine and choline deficient diet, supplemented with ethionine (HMCDE), to induce NASH, showed significantly enhanced liver injury, as evidenced by higher hepatic necrosis scores and elevated serum aminotransferases (ALT). Mechanistically, we showed that murine hepatocytes express α and β adrenoceptors; that PRL directly induces hepatocyte injury and death as evidenced by increased release of lactate dehydrogenase, FASL and TNF-α from hepatocytes in the presence of PRL; and that PRL activated the apoptotic pathway in primary hepatocyte cultures, as indicated by upregulation of Fas receptor and caspase-8 proteins. The β-AR antagonist PRL therefore appears to enhance liver injury through induction of hepatocyte death via the death pathway. Further studies are now required to extrapolate these findings to humans but meanwhile, β-AR antagonists should be avoided or used with caution in patients with non-cirrhotic NASH as they may worsen liver injury. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0006-291X 1090-2104 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.07.005 |