Emerging Therapeutic Approaches for Chronic Liver Diseases

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2024) | Viewed by 2126

Special Issue Editors

1. Translational Liver Research, Medical Cell Biophysics (MCBP), Carre 4417, P.O. Box 217, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
2. Institute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-52074 Aachen, Germany
Interests: nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; organ fibrosis; nanomedicine; translational hepatology; gastroenterology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Chronic liver diseases including hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), liver cirrhosis and liver cancer remain one of the most important health concerns. The emergence of potent antiviral drugs against viral hepatitis led to a paradigm shift in drug discovery with a focus on identifying potent pharmacological inhibitors. The current understanding of NAFLD and NASH has led to a tremendous interest of pharmaceutical industries in drug discovery. However, despite the much improved knowledge of the disease progression, multiple drugs failed in clinical trials. Hence, suitable drugs are still an unmet medical need for these diseases. 

This Special Issue will provide insights into emerging drug targets for chronic liver diseases (CLDs), novel pathways involved in disease progression, potent pharmacological inhibitors, emerging screening tools for screening new chemical entities, the role of drug carriers in addressing the complexity of the disease and cutting-edge technologies for the effective diagnosis and treatment of CLDs. 

Prof. Dr. Ralf Weiskirchen
Dr. Amit Khurana
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • chronic liver diseases
  • hepatitis
  • NAFLD
  • NASH
  • nanomedicine
  • translational medicine
  • precision-cut tissue slices
  • organoids

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 3121 KiB  
Article
Tofogliflozin Delays Portal Hypertension and Hepatic Fibrosis by Inhibiting Sinusoidal Capillarization in Cirrhotic Rats
by Shohei Asada, Kosuke Kaji, Norihisa Nishimura, Aritoshi Koizumi, Takuya Matsuda, Misako Tanaka, Nobuyuki Yorioka, Shinya Sato, Koh Kitagawa, Tadashi Namisaki, Takemi Akahane and Hitoshi Yoshiji
Cells 2024, 13(6), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13060538 - 19 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Background: Liver cirrhosis leads to portal hypertension (PH) with capillarization of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), although drug treatment options for PH are currently limited. Sodium glucose transporter 2 inhibitors, which are antidiabetic agents, have been shown to improve endothelial dysfunction. We aimed [...] Read more.
Background: Liver cirrhosis leads to portal hypertension (PH) with capillarization of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), although drug treatment options for PH are currently limited. Sodium glucose transporter 2 inhibitors, which are antidiabetic agents, have been shown to improve endothelial dysfunction. We aimed to elucidate the effect of tofogliflozin on PH and liver fibrosis in a rat cirrhosis model. Methods: Male-F344/NSlc rats repeatedly received carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) intraperitoneally to induce PH and liver cirrhosis alongside tofogliflozin (10 or 20 mg/kg). Portal hemodynamics and hepatic phenotypes were assessed after 14 weeks. An in vitro study investigated the effects of tofogliflozin on the crosstalk between LSEC and activated hepatic stellate cells (Ac-HSC), which are relevant to PH development. Results: Tofogliflozin prevented PH with attenuated intrahepatic vasoconstriction, sinusoidal capillarization, and remodeling independent of glycemic status in CCl4-treated rats. Hepatic macrophage infiltration, proinflammatory response, and fibrogenesis were suppressed by treatment with tofogliflozin. In vitro assays showed that tofogliflozin suppressed Ac-HSC-stimulated capillarization and vasoconstriction in LSECs by enhancing the antioxidant capacity, as well as inhibited the capilliarized LSEC-stimulated contractive, profibrogenic, and proliferative activities of Ac-HSCs. Conclusions: Our study provides strong support for tofogliflozin in the prevention of liver cirrhosis-related PH. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Therapeutic Approaches for Chronic Liver Diseases)
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Review

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19 pages, 1217 KiB  
Review
Multiple Roles of the RUNX Gene Family in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Their Potential Clinical Implications
by Milena Krajnović, Bojana Kožik, Ana Božović and Snežana Jovanović-Ćupić
Cells 2023, 12(18), 2303; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12182303 - 19 Sep 2023
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Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent cancers in humans, characterised by a high resistance to conventional chemotherapy, late diagnosis, and a high mortality rate. It is necessary to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in hepatocarcinogenesis to improve diagnosis and treatment [...] Read more.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent cancers in humans, characterised by a high resistance to conventional chemotherapy, late diagnosis, and a high mortality rate. It is necessary to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in hepatocarcinogenesis to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes. The Runt-related (RUNX) family of transcription factors (RUNX1, RUNX2, and RUNX3) participates in cardinal biological processes and plays paramount roles in the pathogenesis of numerous human malignancies. Their role is often controversial as they can act as oncogenes or tumour suppressors and depends on cellular context. Evidence shows that deregulated RUNX genes may be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis from the earliest to the latest stages. In this review, we summarise the topical evidence on the roles of RUNX gene family members in HCC. We discuss their possible application as non-invasive molecular markers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and development of novel treatment strategies in HCC patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Therapeutic Approaches for Chronic Liver Diseases)
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