First Author | Ren Y | Year | 2021 |
Journal | Clin Transl Med | Volume | 11 |
Issue | 2 | Pages | e295 |
PubMed ID | 33634976 | Mgi Jnum | J:326711 |
Mgi Id | MGI:7316738 | Doi | 10.1002/ctm2.295 |
Citation | Ren Y, et al. (2021) Milk fat globule EGF factor 8 restores mitochondrial function via integrin-medicated activation of the FAK-STAT3 signaling pathway in acute pancreatitis. Clin Transl Med 11(2):e295 |
abstractText | Acute pancreatitis (AP) remains a significant clinical challenge. Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of AP. Milk fat globule EGF factor 8 (MFG-E8) is an opsonizing protein, which has many biological functions via binding to alphavbeta3/5 integrins. Ligand-dependent integrin-FAK activation of STAT3 was reported to be of great importance for maintaining a normal mitochondrial function. However, MFG-E8's role in AP has not been evaluated. METHODS: Blood samples were acquired from 69 healthy controls and 134 AP patients. Serum MFG-E8 levels were measured by ELISA. The relationship between serum concentrations of MFG-E8 and disease severity were analyzed. The role of MFG-E8 was evaluated in experimental models of AP. RESULTS: Serum concentrations of MFG-E8 were lower in AP patients than healthy controls. And serum MFG-E8 concentrations were negatively correlated with disease severity in AP patients. In mice, MFG-E8 administration decreased L-arginine-induced pancreatic injury and mortality. MFG-E8's protective effects in experimental AP were associated with improvement in mitochondrial function and reduction in oxidative stress. MFG-E8 knockout mice suffered more severe pancreatic injury and greater mitochondrial damage after l-arginine administration. Mechanistically, MFG-E8 activated the FAK-STAT3 pathway in AP mice. Cilengitide, a specific alphavbeta3/5 integrin inhibitor, abolished MFG-E8's beneficial effects in AP. PF00562271, a specific FAK inhibitor, blocked MFG-E8-induced STAT3 phosphorylation. APTSTAT3-9R, a specific STAT3 antagonist, also eliminated MFG-E8's beneficial effects under such a condition. CONCLUSIONS: MFG-E8 acts as an endogenous protective mediator in the pathogenesis of AP. MFG-E8 administration protects against AP possibly by restoring mitochondrial function via activation of the integrin-FAK-STAT3 signaling pathway. Targeting the action of MFG-E8 may present a potential therapeutic option for AP. |