1. Sja-let-7 suppresses the development of liver fibrosis via Schistosoma japonicum extracellular vesicles.
- Author
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Zhong, Haoran, Dong, Bowen, Zhu, Danlin, Fu, Zhiqiang, Liu, Jinming, and Jin, Yamei
- Subjects
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HEPATIC fibrosis , *SCHISTOSOMA japonicum , *EXTRACELLULAR vesicles , *HEPATITIS C virus , *ZOONOSES , *PARASITIC diseases , *PORTAL vein - Abstract
Schistosomiasis is a fatal zoonotic parasitic disease that also threatens human health. The main pathological features of schistosomiasis are granulomatous inflammation and subsequent liver fibrosis, which is a complex, chronic, and progressive disease. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from schistosome eggs are broadly involved in host-parasite communication and act as important contributors to schistosome-induced liver fibrosis. However, it remains unclear whether substances secreted by the EVs of Schistosoma japonicum, a long-term parasitic "partner" in the hepatic portal vein of the host, also participate in liver fibrosis. Here, we report that EVs derived from S. japonicum worms attenuated liver fibrosis by delivering sja-let-7 into hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Mechanistically, activation of HSCs was reduced by targeting collagen type I alpha 2 chain (Col1α2) and downregulation of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway both in vivo and in vitro. Overall, these results contribute to further understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying host-parasite interactions and identified the sja-let-7/Col1α2/TGF-β/Smad axis as a potential target for treatment of schistosomiasis-related liver fibrosis. Author summary: Schistosomiasis is a neglected parasitic disease that affects over 250 million people in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. As common pathogenic species, the eggs of Schistosoma japonicum and S. mansoni cause hepatic schistosomiasis, which can lead to granulomatous inflammation and subsequent liver fibrosis. Hence, elucidation of the mechanisms underlying liver fibrosis and host-parasite crosstalk is essential to inhibiting the progression of schistosomiasis. Accumulating evidence supports the pivotal role of schistosome egg-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the onset and progression of schistosomiasis. However, the potential involvement of schistosome worm-derived EVs in the activation and modulation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in hepatic schistosomiasis remains largely unknown. The results of this study demonstrate that the release of sja-let-7 by S. japonicum worm-derived EVs reduced activation of HSCs by targeting Col1α2 and further attenuated the progression of liver fibrosis by mediating the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. These findings provide evidence for the application of worm-derived substances and the sja-let-7/Col1α2/TGF-β/Smad axis as a novel therapeutic target for treatment of liver fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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