Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major chronic liver disease and thus a main reason for liver-related morbidities and mortality. NAFLD covers a wide range of diseases starting with steatosis and frequently progressing to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is an independent predictor for the development of the hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), the key enzyme of the mammalian NAD salvage pathway, recycles nicotinamide to nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), which is further converted to nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD). NAD is not only an important redox partner but also a crucial co-substrate for NAD-dependent enzymes such as sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). Thus, NAD metabolism might be involved in the progression of NAFLD by regulating many cellular processes, such as apoptosis, de novo lipogenesis, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, in the liver. Interestingly, tumor cells have a high NAD turnover due to their rapid proliferation and high activity of NAD-dependent enzymes. For these reasons, I hypothesized that the NAD salvage pathway is dysregulated during the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Therefore, the first study of the present work deals with the role of the NAD salvage pathway in a diet-induced mouse model of hepatic steatosis. In mice fed a high-fat diet for 11 weeks hepatic NAMPT mRNA, protein abundance and activity as well as NAD levels were increased. Additionally, SIRT1 protein abundance was upregulated indicating a higher SIRT1 activity. This could be confirmed by detecting decreased acetylation or transcription of SIRT1 targets. For example, p53 and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) were less acetylated demonstrating lower activity of key regulators of apoptosis and inflammation, respectively.
In the second study of this thesis NAMPT activity was inhibited by applying its specific inhibitor FK866 in hepatocarcinoma cells to investigate whether or not NAMPT inhibition could be a potential novel therapeutic approach in HCC treatment. Hepatocarcinoma cells were more sensitive to NAMPT inhibition by FK866 than primary human hepatocytes, presenting a high number of apoptotic cells after FK866 treatment. FK866 induced NAD and ATP depletion which was associated with activation of the key regulator of energy metabolism 5’-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and decreased activity of its downstream target mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR).
This thesis shows that the NAD salvage pathway is involved in hepatic steatosis and HCC. During hepatic steatosis NAD metabolism is upregulated to potentially protect against adverse effects of the massive hepatic lipid accumulation. To repress the progression to NASH it might be useful to maintain the hepatic NAD levels during early disease stages by administration of NAD precursors, such as NMN. However, hepatocarcinoma cells have a higher activity of NAMPT and NAD-dependent enzymes. NAMPT inhibition by FK866 could be a potential therapeutic approach in HCC, especially due to the fact that NAD depletion is selectively induced in hepatocarcinoma cells, but not in primary human hepatocytes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa.de:bsz:15-qucosa-194821 |
| Date | 01 February 2016 |
| Creators | Penke, Melanie |
| Contributors | Fakultät für Biowissenschaften, Pharmazie und Psychologie,, Prof. Dr. Annette Beck-Sickinger, Prof. Dr. Annette Beck-Sickinger, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pfeiffer |
| Publisher | Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | doc-type:doctoralThesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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