Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is associated with c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation across various cell types, but its hepatocyte-specific function in steatotic liver disease remains unclear. Our study investigates the role of JNK1/JNK2 during MASH progression and dissects its hepatocyte-specific function.
APPROACH AND RESULTS: We showed that UK Biobank patients with a predicted loss-of-function variant of JNK1 presented an increased prevalence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and liver damage. Analysis of a pathology cohort of patients with steatotic liver disease revealed increased oxidative stress response and apoptosis. After subjecting mice deficient for Jnk1 and Jnk2 in hepatocytes ( Jnk1/2Δhepa ) to 2 different MASH models, we observed enhanced liver injury, fibrosis, and oxidative stress. RNA sequencing revealed highly upregulated pathways in Jnk1/2Δhepa livers, including inflammatory signals and apoptotic pathways. Additional blocking of Caspase 8 signaling improved high-fat diet-induced liver damage, fibrogenesis, and oxidative stress. Ultimately, a therapeutic approach using lipid nanoparticles containing small interfering RNA targeting Caspase 8 during MASH progression attenuated liver injury and cell death in mice.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings define a protective role of JNK1/JNK2 in hepatocytes during the oxidative stress response driving the progression of MASH. This process is mainly mediated by Caspase 8-dependent apoptosis, thereby discovering that Caspase 8 is a downstream target of JNK1/2. Caspase 8-directed therapy in hepatocytes might be a promising treatment for patients with an increased oxidative stress response and MASH.