December 4, 2020
Keio University School of Medicine
A research group led by Associate Professor Mariko Takeuma and Professor Masato Yasui of the Department of Pharmacology, Keio University School of Medicine, and Researcher Aimi Tanaka of the Keio University Global Research Institute, has revealed through experiments using a mouse model of hepatitis that aquaporin-3 (AQP3), expressed in macrophages (a type of immune cell) localized in the liver, plays a crucial role in the onset of hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.
This study revealed that in AQP3-deficient mice, symptoms of acute liver injury and chronic hepatitis were alleviated compared to wild-type mice. Furthermore, in macrophages lacking AQP3, the cellular activation that occurs during the onset of liver injury was suppressed. This was shown to reduce chronic inflammation and fibrosis in the liver, demonstrating that AQP3 in macrophages plays a key role in the development of chronic hepatitis.
In addition, the group established the world's first monoclonal antibody that inhibits AQP3 and confirmed that its administration suppresses the onset of hepatitis in mouse models of both acute and chronic hepatitis.
Moving forward, the team will continue to investigate the role of AQP3 in the progression of hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. It is hoped that by advancing the development of AQP3 antibodies and AQP3 inhibitors, this research will contribute to the development of new treatments for these conditions.
The results of this research were published in the online edition of "Nature Communications" on November 9, 2020.
Please see below for the full press release.