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BACKGROUND:The pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis has not been clearly elucidated.Circular RNA(CircRNA)is a research hotspot in the field of RNA and is involved in the pathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases.However,the role of CircRNA in autoimmune hepatitis remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship between CircRNA(CircRNA)and concanavalin A induced liver injury in mice with autoimmune hepatitis. METHODS:Bioinformatics analysis was performed on CircRNA profiles selected by previous microarray technology,including gene ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses,so as to explore the potential biological functions of these differentially expressed genes.Twelve C57BL/6 mice were randomized into normal group and model group(n=6 per group).Autoimmune hepatitis model was established by tail vein injection of concanavalin A in the model group.Mice were killed at 12 hours after modeling to extract mouse liver and peripheral blood.The expression levels of CircRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR.Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were detected by colorimetric method.The levels of oxidative stress indexes malondialdehyde and nitric oxide in mouse liver were detected by microplate method.The correlation between oxidative stress level and liver injury index was analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The results of GO analysis showed that the target genes with up-regulated CircRNAs expression were mainly involved in the biological processes of SNARE complex assembly regulation(P=0.004),their molecular functions were mainly metal ion binding(P=0.000 29),and the cell components were mainly enriched in CORVET complex(P=0.075).The biological processes involved in the down-regulated circRNAs target genes were mainly"negative regulation of pancreatic secretion"(P=0.000 42),the molecular functions were mainly"transcriptional activator activity"(P=0.025),and the cell components were mainly enriched in"extracellular components"(P=0.006).KEGG results showed that the target genes with up-regulated CircRNAs expression were mainly enriched in the"base excision-repair"signaling pathways(P=0.026).Compared with the normal group,serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels and the levels of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide in mouse liver in the model group were significantly increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the normal group,the expression of two selected CircRNAs(mmu-circ-0001520 and mmu-circ-0001577)was increased in the model group(P＜0.05).Spearman correlation analysis showed that the expression of mmu-circ-0001520 and mmu-circ-0001577 was positively correlated with alanine aminotransferase,aspartate aminotransferase,malondialdehyde and nitric oxide.To conclude,the differential expression of CircRNAs is correlated with liver injury in autoimmune hepatitis mice.mmu-circ-0001520 and mmu-circ-0001577 are expected to be diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for autoimmune hepatitis.
RESUMEN
ObjectiveTo investigate the role and mechanism of action of Yinchenhao Decoction in inhibiting ferroptosis of hepatocytes in mice with autoimmune hepatitis. MethodsA total of 18 specific pathogen-free female C57BL/6 mice were selected and divided into normal group， model group， and treatment group using a random number table， with 6 mice in each group. The mice in the model group and the treatment group were injected with concanavalin A （Con A） via the caudal vein to establish a mouse model of autoimmune hepatitis， and those in the normal group were injected with normal saline. The mice in the treatment group were given prophylactic treatment with Yinchenhao Decoction （4.68 g crude drug/kg） by gavage at 14 days before modeling， and Con A was injected after the last gavage. The levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， interferon gamma （IFN-γ）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， iron ion， glutathione （GSH）， reactive oxygen species （ROS）， adenosine triphosphate （ATP）， and malondialdehyde （MDA） were measured； liver index and spleen index were calculated； the expression levels of GPX4 and SLC7A11 were measured； liver histopathological changes were compared between groups. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between three groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group had significant increases in liver index， spleen index， ALT， AST， IFN-γ， TNF-α， iron ion， ROS and MDA （all P<0.05） and significant reductions in the content of GSH and ATP and the protein expression levels of GPX4 and SLC7A11 （all P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the treatment group had significant reductions in liver index， spleen index， ALT， AST， IFN-γ， TNF-α， iron ion， ROS and MDA （all P<0.05） and significant increases in the content of GSH and ATP and the protein expression levels of GPX4 and SLC7A11 （all P<0.05）. HE staining showed that compared with the normal group， the model group showed massive hepatocyte degeneration and necrosis and inflammatory cell aggregation at the portal area， and compared with the model group， the treatment group had alleviation of liver necrosis and inflammatory infiltration. ConclusionLiver injury induced by Con A may be associated with ferroptosis. Yinchenhao Decoction can increase the protein expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein and thus inhibit ferroptosis of hepatocytes induced by Con A.