Reduction of hepatic fibrosis by overexpression of von Hippel-Lindau protein in experimental models of chronic liver disease.

ABSTRACT: Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α and HIF-2α play an important role in liver fibrosis. von Hippel-Lindau protein (VHL), a key mediator of HIF-α, regulates fibrosis in an organ- and cell-specific way. In this study, human liver samples were collected from hepatitis C-, alcoholic-, and cholestatic-associated fibrotic and healthy individuals. Two mouse models of liver fibrosis were established: bile duct ligation and carbon tetrachloride injection. We constructed adenovirus vectors to overexpress VHL, normoxia-active HIF-α, and lentiviral vectors to silence HIF-α. The results showed that liver sections from fibrosis patients had a lower level of VHL and higher levels of HIF-1α and HIF-2α compared with healthy sections, a finding which was confirmed in mice. Overexpression of VHL attenuated li

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5253623 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature