Cell Reports (Aug 2023)

Synergy of 5-aminolevulinate supplement and CX3CR1 suppression promotes liver regeneration via elevated IGF-1 signaling

  • Liang Chen,
  • Lele Zhang,
  • Guanghui Jin,
  • Yasong Liu,
  • Na Guo,
  • Haobin Sun,
  • Yong Jiang,
  • Xiaomei Zhang,
  • Guobin He,
  • Guo Lv,
  • Jinghong Yang,
  • Xuanjun Tu,
  • Tao Dong,
  • Huanyi Liu,
  • Jianhong An,
  • Ge Si,
  • Zhuang Kang,
  • Hua Li,
  • Shuhong Yi,
  • Guihua Chen,
  • Wei Liu,
  • Yang Yang,
  • Jingxing Ou

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 42, no. 8
p. 112984

Abstract

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Summary: Inadequate remnant volume and regenerative ability of the liver pose life-threatening risks to patients after partial liver transplantation (PLT) or partial hepatectomy (PHx), while few clinical treatments focus on safely accelerating regeneration. Recently, we discovered that supplementing 5-aminolevulinate (5-ALA) improves liver cold adaptation and functional recovery, leading us to uncover a correlation between 5-ALA metabolic activities and post-PLT recovery. In a mouse 2/3 PHx model, 5-ALA supplements enhanced liver regeneration, promoting infiltration and polarization of anti-inflammatory macrophages via P53 signaling. Intriguingly, chemokine receptor CX3CR1 functions to counterbalance these effects. Genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of CX3CR1 (AZD8797; phase II trial candidate) augmented the macrophagic production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and subsequent hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) production by hepatic stellate cells. Thus, short-term treatments with both 5-ALA and AZD8797 demonstrated pro-regeneration outcomes superior to 5-ALA-only treatments in mice after PHx. Overall, our findings may inspire safe and effective strategies to better treat PLT and PHx patients.

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