Resveratrol Helps Recovery from Fatty Liver and Protects against Hepatocellular Carcinoma Induced by Hepatitis B Virus X Protein in a Mouse Model
Menée sur un modèle murin, cette étude montre que le resvératrol, un polyphénol d'origine végétale, a un effet chimiopréventif sur la carcinogenèse du foie induite par la protéine X du virus de l'hépatite B et peut permettre de traiter une stéatose hépatique associée à cette même protéine
Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural polyphenol that has beneficial effects across species and various disease models. Here, we investigate whether RSV is effective against hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using HBV X protein (HBx) transgenic mice. We found that RSV (30 mg/kg/day) has a therapeutic effect on HBx-induced fatty liver and the early stages of liver damage. RSV decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species and transiently stimulated hepatocyte proliferation. Interestingly, RSV inhibited LXRα and down-regulated the expression of the lipogenic genes, Srebp1-c and Pparγ. The decrease in Srebp1-c seems to further down-regulate the expression of its target genes, Acc and Fas. Additionally, RSV stimulated the activity of Ampk and SirT1. Thus, RSV has a pleiotropic effect on HBx transgenic mice in terms of the down-regulation of lipogenesis, the promotion of transient liver regeneration, and the stimulation of antioxidant activity. Furthermore, at the later pre-cancerous stages, RSV delayed HBx-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis and reduced HCC incidence from 80% to 15%, a 5.3-fold reduction. RSV should be considered as a potential chemopreventive agent for HBV-associated HCC.