Japan Society for the Promotion of Science:Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Date (from‐to) : 2012/04 -2015/03
Author : KON Kazuyoshi; IKEJIMA Kenichi; KAWAKAMI Kyojiro
To develop a new strategy of steatohepatitis to take the place of dietary and exercise treatment, we investigated the role of epigenetic alterations on the development of steatohepatitis, using mice (in vivo models) and primary-cultured mouse hepatocytes. In particular, we focused the relationship between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and epigenetic changes in hepatocytes.
First, we showed the possibility that the exercise by treadmill increased carnitine pool, followed by improving lipid metabolism and accelerating the effect of low fat diet feeding. Next, we revealed that increase of ER stress in liver induced epigenetic alteration in liver tissue, leading to hepatic fibrosis and carcinogenesis. Finally, we demonstrated that the anti-ER stress treatment with 4-phenylbuthyric acid ameliorated ER stress, followed by improving steatohepatitis in vitro and in vivo.