2. Academic Validation
  3. Novel role for epalrestat: protecting against NLRP3 inflammasome-driven NASH by targeting aldose reductase

Novel role for epalrestat: protecting against NLRP3 inflammasome-driven NASH by targeting aldose reductase

  • J Transl Med. 2023 Oct 7;21(1):700. doi: 10.1186/s12967-023-04380-4.
Wei Shi # 1 2 3,  Guang Xu # 4,  Yuan Gao # 3,  Jun Zhao 2,  Tingting Liu 2 5,  Jia Zhao 2,  Huijie Yang 1,  Ziying Wei 1,  Hui Li 1,  An-Long Xu 6,  Zhaofang Bai 7 8,  Xiaohe Xiao 9 10
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China.
  • 2 Department of Hepatology, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
  • 3 School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
  • 4 School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. 15811587486@139.com.
  • 5 The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Zunyi), Zunyi, China.
  • 6 School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China. xuanlong@bucm.edu.cn.
  • 7 Department of Hepatology, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China. baizf2008@hotmail.com.
  • 8 Military Institute of Chinese Materia, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China. baizf2008@hotmail.com.
  • 9 Department of Hepatology, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China. pharmacy_302@126.com.
  • 10 Military Institute of Chinese Materia, The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China. pharmacy_302@126.com.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 37805545 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04380-4
Abstract

Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive and inflammatory subtype of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) characterized by hepatocellular injury, inflammation, and fibrosis in various stages. More than 20% of patients with NASH will progress to cirrhosis. Currently, there is a lack of clinically effective drugs for treating NASH, as improving liver histology in NASH is difficult to achieve and maintain through weight loss alone. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate potential therapeutic drugs for NASH.

Methods: BMDMs and THP1 cells were used to construct an inflammasome activation model, and then we evaluated the effect of epalrestat on the NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Western blot, real-time qPCR, flow cytometry, and ELISA were used to evaluate the mechanism of epalrestat on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Next, MCD-induced NASH models were used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of epalrestat in vivo. In addition, to evaluate the safety of epalrestat in vivo, mice were gavaged with epalrestat daily for 14 days.

Results: Epalrestat, a clinically effective and safe drug, inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation by acting upstream of Caspase-1 and inducing ASC oligomerization. Importantly, epalrestat exerts its inhibitory effect on NLRP3 inflammasome activation by inhibiting the activation of Aldose Reductase. Further investigation revealed that the administration of epalrestat inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vivo, alleviating liver inflammation and improving NASH pathology.

Conclusions: Our study indicated that epalrestat, an Aldose Reductase Inhibitor, effectively suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vivo and in vitro and might be a new therapeutic approach for NASH.

Keywords

Aldose reductase; Epalrestat; NASH; NLRP3 inflammasome; NLRP3 inflammasome-driven disease.

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