Autophagy in intestinal fibrosis: relevance in inflammatory bowel disease (original) (raw)

Autophagy Stimulation as a Potential Strategy Against Intestinal Fibrosis

Cells, 2019

We recently observed reduced autophagy in Crohn's disease patients and an anti-inflammatory effect of autophagy stimulation in murine colitis, but both anti-and pro-fibrotic effects are associated with autophagy stimulation in different tissues, and fibrosis is a frequent complication of Crohn's disease. Thus, we analyzed the effects of pharmacological modulation of autophagy in a murine model of intestinal fibrosis and detected that autophagy inhibition aggravates, while autophagy stimulation prevents, fibrosis. These effects are associated with changes in inflammation and in collagen degradation in primary fibroblasts. Thus, pharmacological stimulation of autophagy may be useful against intestinal fibrosis.

Autophagy: roles in intestinal mucosal homeostasis and inflammation

Journal of Biomedical Science, 2019

The intestinal mucosa is a site of multiple stressors and forms the barrier between the internal and external environment. In the intestine, a complex interplay between the microbiota, epithelial barrier and the local immune system maintains homeostasis and promotes a healthy gut. One of the major cellular catabolic processes that regulate this homeostasis is autophagy. Autophagy is required to maintain anti-microbial defense, epithelial barrier integrity and mucosal immune response. Dysregulation of the autophagy process causes disruption of several aspects of the intestinal epithelium and the immune system that can lead to an inappropriate immune response and subsequent inflammation. Genome-wide association studies have found an association between several risk loci in autophagy genes and inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of the current review is to provide an update on the role of autophagy in intestinal mucosal physiology and in the control of inappropriate inflammation.

Intestinal Epithelium and Autophagy: Partners in Gut Homeostasis

Frontiers in Immunology, 2013

One of the most significant challenges of cell biology is to understand how each type of cell copes with its specific workload without suffering damage. Among the most intriguing questions concerns intestinal epithelial cells in mammals; these cells act as a barrier between the internally protected region and the external environment that is exposed constantly to food and microbes. A major process involved in the processing of microbes is autophagy. In the intestine, through multiple, complex signaling pathways, autophagy including macroautophagy and xenophagy is pivotal in mounting appropriate intestinal immune responses and anti-microbial protection. Dysfunctional autophagy mechanism leads to chronic intestinal inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Studies involving a number of in vitro and in vivo mouse models in addition to human clinical studies have revealed a detailed role for autophagy in the generation of chronic intestinal inflammation. A number of genome-wide association studies identified roles for numerous autophagy genes in IBD, especially in Crohn's disease. In this review, we will explore in detail the latest research linking autophagy to intestinal homeostasis and how alterations in autophagy pathways lead to intestinal inflammation.

Autophagy stimulation prevents intestinal mucosal inflammation and ameliorates murine colitis

British journal of pharmacology, 2017

A defective autophagy is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders such as IBD. Cross talk interactions between autophagy and inflammation have been reported and we analyse the effects of autophagy stimulators on murine colitis. Mice were treated with intrarectal administration of TNBS (3.5 mg/20 g BW) and body weight was measured every day and histological damage score analysed two or four days after treatment. Some mice received trehalose (3% in drinking water three weeks before TNBS administration) or a daily administration of rapamycin (1.25 mg/kg, i.p.), betanin (1g/kg, i.p.) or betanin + 3MA (10mg/kg, i.p.). Mucosal protein levels of p-mTOR, p62, LC3, BCL10, NFκB, IκBα and p-IκBα were determined by WB and mRNA expression of TNFα, IL1β, IL6, IL10, COX2, CCR7, CD11c, iNOS and CD86 by qRT-PCR. An impaired autophagy associated with body weight loss and intestinal damage was detected in the mucosa of TNBS-treated mice. Administration of trehalose, rapamycin or betanin ...

Autophagy Protects against Colitis by the Maintenance of Normal Gut Microflora and Secretion of Mucus

The Journal of biological chemistry, 2015

Genome-wide association studies of inflammatory bowel diseases identified susceptible loci containing an autophagy-related gene. However, the role of autophagy in the colon, a major affected area in inflammatory bowel diseases, is not clear. Here, we show that colonic epithelial cell-specific autophagy-related gene 7 (Atg7) conditional knock-out (cKO) mice showed exacerbation of experimental colitis with more abundant bacterial invasion into the colonic epithelium. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that cKO mice had abnormal microflora with an increase of some genera. Consistently, expression of antimicrobial or antiparasitic peptides such as angiogenin-4, Relmβ, intelectin-1, and intelectin-2 as well as that of their inducer cytokines was significantly reduced in the cKO mice. Furthermore, secretion of colonic mucins that function as a mucosal barrier against bacterial invasion was also significantly diminished in cKO mice. Taken together, our results indicate that autophagy in co...

CD147 Targeting by AC-73 Induces Autophagy and Reduces Intestinal Fibrosis Associated with TNBS Chronic Colitis

Journal of Crohn's and Colitis

Background and Aims Intestinal fibrosis is a common complication of inflammatory bowel diseases. Medical treatment of intestinal fibrosis is an unmet therapeutic need. CD147 overexpression can induce myofibroblast differentiation associated with extracellular matrix deposition, favouring the development of fibrosis. To understand whether CD147 may promote intestinal fibrosis, we analysed its expression and blocked its function by using its specific inhibitor AC-73 [3-{2-[([1,1’-biphenyl]-4-ylmethyl) amino]-1-hydroxyethyl} phenol] in the murine TNBS [trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid]-chronic colitis model associated with intestinal fibrosis. Methods TNBS chronic colitis was induced by weekly intrarectal administration of escalating doses of TNBS. Ethanol-treated and untreated mice were used as controls. Separated groups of TNBS, ethanol-treated or untreated mice received AC-73 or vehicle administered intraperitoneally from day 21 to day 49. At day 49, mice were killed, and colons collect...

Autophagy is active in normal colon mucosa

Autophagy, 2012

Keywords: BECN1, p62/SQSTM1, autophagy, colon, epithelium, cancer Abbreviations: RM, resection margin; ATG, autophagy related; LC3, microtubule-associated protein1 light chain 3

Crohn’s Disease: Potential Drugs for Modulation of Autophagy

Medicina

Autophagy is an intracellular process whereby cytoplasmic constituents are degraded within lysosomes. Autophagy functions to eliminate unwanted or damaged materials such as proteins and organelles as their accumulation would be harmful to the cellular system. Autophagy also acts as a defense mechanism against invading pathogens and plays an important role in innate and adaptive immunity. In physiological processes, autophagy is involved in the regulation of tissue development, differentiation and remodeling, which are essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Recent studies have demonstrated that autophagy is linked to various diseases and involved in pathophysiological roles, such as adaptation during starvation, anti-aging, antigen presentation, tumor suppression and cell death. The modulation of autophagy has shown greatest promise in Crohn’s disease as most of autophagy drugs involved in these diseases are currently under clinical trials and some has been approved by Food ...