This study highlights the role of chronic iron overload, not acute parenteral injection, as a ‘second hit’ in the development of NASH in a mouse model with metabolic syndrome. Disclosures: Kris V. Kowdley – Advisory Committees or Review Panels: AbbVie, Gilead, Merck, Novartis, Trio Health, Boeringer Ingelheim, Ikaria, Janssen; Grant/Research Support: AbbVie, Beckman, Boeringer Ingelheim, BMS, Gilead Sciences, Ikaria, Janssen, Merck, Mochida, Vertex The following people have nothing to disclose: Priya Handa, Vicki Morgan-Stevenson, Bryan D. Maliken, James E. Nelson, Matthew M. Yeh Background: The NLRP3 inflammasome, http://www.selleckchem.com/products/H-89-dihydrochloride.html a caspase-1
activation platform critical for processing key pro-inflammatory cytokines, is of great importance in innate immunity. While its activation has been linked to the development acute and chronic liver diseases, regulatory pathways that mediate this process are poorly understood. Therefore,
our AIM was to investigate the role of IL-17 and TNF-α in NLRP3 dependent liver damage. Methods: Nlrp3A350VneoR knock-in mice were bred onto IL-17 and TNF-α knockout backgrounds. The resultant mice were then crossed with IL-17 or TNF-α knockout mice expressing a Cre recombinase under the Lysozyme promoter allowing for mutant Nlrp3 expression in myeloid derived cells in mice deficient in IL-17 or TNF-α. Results: Mice expressing the Nlrp3A350V mutation in myeloid derived cells were smaller than non-mutant littermates, showed a marked inflammatory infiltrate in liver samples and had elevated levels of IL-17 Enzalutamide molecular weight and TNF-α when compared to littermate controls. Mutants lacking
IL-17 showed a slight improvement in weight differential, while TNF-α knockout mutants were not distinguishable from their non-mutant knockout littermates. Livers of intact Nlrp3A350V mutants showed strong neutrophilic infiltrations, while IL-17 loss of function mutants showed fewer neutrophils when compared to intact Nlrp3A350V mutants, but still significantly more than their non-mutant IL-17 knockout littermates. The amount of neutrophils and regulating chemokines in TNF-α deficient mutants did not differ from non-mutant knockout littermates. An increase in hepatic macrophages was only present in intact Nlrp3A350V mutants, while values in Bay 11-7085 IL-17 and TNF-α deficient mutants were similar to corresponding littermates. However, inflammatory macrophage polarization with increased mRNA levels of TNF-α and iNOS was present in inact Nlr-p3A350V mutants and IL-17 lacking mutants. Moreover, intact Nlrp3A350Vmutants showed fibrosis, as evidenced by Sirius red staining and increased mRNA levels of CTGF and TIMP-1. IL-17 lacking mutants exhibited amelioration of the aforementioned fibrosis, while TNF-α deficient mutants showed no signs of fibrosis when compared to littermate controls.