Angiotensin II facilitates fibrogenic effect of TGF-β1 through enhancing the down-regulation of BAMBI caused by LPS: a new pro-fibrotic mechanism of angiotensin II

PLoS One. 2013 Oct 14;8(10):e76289. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076289. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Angiotensin II has progressively been considered to play an important role in the development of liver fibrosis, although the mechanism isn't fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible pro-fibrotic mechanism, by which angiotensin II would enhance the pro-fibrotic effect of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) through up-regulation of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and enhancing down-regulation of TGF-β1 inhibitory pseudo-receptor-BAMBI caused by LPS in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Firstly, the synergistic effects of angiotensin II, TGF-β1 and LPS on collagen 1α production were confirmed in vitro by ELISA, in which angiotensin II, LPS and TGF-β1 were treated sequentially, and in vivo by immunofluorescence, in the experiments single or multiple intra-peritoneally implanted osmotic mini-pumps administrating angiotensin II or LPS combined with intra-peritoneal injections of TGF-β1 were used. We also found that only LPS and TGF-β1 weren't enough to induce obvious fibrogenesis without angiotensin II. Secondly, to identify the reason of why angiotensin II is so important, the minute level of TLR4 in activated HSCs - T6 and primary quiescent HSCs of rat, up-regulation of TLR4 by angiotensin II and blockage by different angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1) blockers in HSCs were assayed by western blotting in vitro and immunofluorescence in vivo. Finally, BAMBI expression level, which is regulated by LPS-TLR4 pathway, was detected by qRT-PCR and results showed angiotensin II enhanced the down-regulation of BAMBI mRNA caused by LPS in vitro and in vivo, and TLR4 neutralization antibody blocked this interactive effect. These data demonstrated that angiotensin II enhances LPS-TLR4 pathway signaling and further down-regulates expression of BAMBI through up-regulation of TLR4, which results in facilitation of pro-fibrotic activity of TGF-β1. Angiotensin II, LPS and TGF-β1 act synergistically during hepatic fibrogenesis, showing crosstalks between angiotensin II-AT1, LPS-TLR4 and TGF-β1-BAMBI signal pathways in rat HSCs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Angiotensin II / pharmacology*
  • Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Collagen Type I / biosynthesis
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects*
  • Hepatic Stellate Cells
  • Lipopolysaccharides / pharmacology*
  • Liver / drug effects
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Liver / pathology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / genetics*
  • Liver Cirrhosis / pathology*
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Time Factors
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4 / metabolism
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / pharmacology*
  • Up-Regulation / drug effects

Substances

  • Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists
  • Bambi protein, rat
  • Collagen Type I
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Membrane Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Tlr4 protein, rat
  • Toll-Like Receptor 4
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta1
  • Angiotensin II

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Scientific Foundation of China (#81070338, 30871155 and 81100008).Website: www.nsfc.gov.cn. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.