Inhibition of Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate (cAMP)-response Element-binding Protein (CREB)-binding Protein (CBP)/β-Catenin Reduces Liver Fibrosis in Mice

Wnt/beta-catenin is involved in every aspect of embryonic development and in the pathogenesis of many human diseases, and is also implicated in organ fibrosis. However, the role of beta-catenin-mediated signaling on liver fibrosis remains unclear. To explore this issue, the effects of PRI-724, a selective inhibitor of the cAMP-response element-binding protein-binding protein (CBP)/beta-catenin interaction, on liver fibrosis were examined using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-or bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced mouse liver fibrosis models. Following repetitive CCl4 administrations, the nuclear translocation of beta-catenin was observed only in the non-parenchymal cells in the liver. PRI-724 treatment reduced the fibrosis induced by CCl4 or BDL. C-82, an active form of PRI-724, inhibited the activation of isolated primary mouse quiescent hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and promoted cell death in culture-activated HSCs. During the fibrosis resolution period, an increase in F4/80(+) CD11b(+) and Ly6C(low) CD11b(+) macrophages was induced by CCl4 and was sustained for two weeks thereafter, even after having stopped CCl4 treatment. PRI-724 accelerated the resolution of CCl4-induced liver fibrosis, and this was accompanied by increased matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, MMP-2, and MMP-8 expression in intrahepatic leukocytes. In conclusion, targeting the CBP/beta-catenin interaction may become a new therapeutic strategy in treating liver fibrosis. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).