Role of mitophagy regulation by ROS in hepatic stellate cells during acute liver failure

Liver sinusoids serve as the first line of defence against extrahepatic stimuli from the intestinal tract. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are pericytes residing in the perisinusoidal space that integrate cytokine-mediated inflammatory responses in the sinusoids and relay these signals to the liver parenchyma. Oxidative stress has been shown to promote inflammation during acute liver failure (ALF). Whether and how oxidative stress is involved in HSC inflammation during ALF remains unclear. Level of systemic oxidative stress is reflected by superoxide dismutase (SOD). Thus, ALF patients were recruited to investigate the correlation between plasma SOD levels and clinical features. Liver tissues were collected from chronic hepatitis patients by biopsy and from ALF patients who had undergone liver transplantation. SOD2 expression and HSCs activation were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Inflammation, mitophagy and apoptosis were investigated by immunoblot analysis and flow cytometry in HSCs treated with LP...