The data suggest that 1,25(OH) D may ameliorate hepatic steatosis by inducing autophagy by upregulating ATG16L1.

SummaryRecent studies showing the therapeutic effect of young blood on aging‐associated deterioration of organs point to young blood as the solution for clinical problems related to old age. Given that defective autophagy has been implicated in aging and aging‐associated organ injuries, this study was designed to determine the effect of young blood on aging‐induced alterations in hepatic function and underlying mechanisms, with a focus on autophagy. Aged rats (22 months) were treated with pooled plasma (1 ml, intravenously) collected from young (3 months) or aged rats three times per week for 4 weeks, and 3‐methyladenine or wortmannin was used to inhibit young blood‐induced autophagy. Aging was associated with elevated levels of alanine transaminase and aspartate aminotransferase, lipofuscin accumulation, steatosis, fibrosis, and defective liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, which were significantly attenuated by young plasma injections. Young plasma could also restore aging‐impaired autophagy activity. Inhibition of the young plasma‐restored autophagic activity abrogated the beneficial effect of young plasma against hepatic injury with aging. In vitro, young serum could protect old hepatocytes from senescence, and the antisenescence effect of young serum was abrogated by 3‐methyladenine, wortmannin, or small interfering RNA to autophagy‐related protein 7. Collectively, our data indicate that young plasma could ameliorate age‐dependent alterations in hepatic function partially via the restoration of autophagy.

We previously demonstrated that baicalein could protect against liver ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice. The exact mechanism of baicalein remains poorly understood. Autophagy plays an important role in protecting against I/R injury. This study was designed to determine whether baicalein could protect against liver I/R injury via induction of autophagy in rats. Baicalein was intraperitoneally injected 1 h before warm ischemia. Pretreatment with baicalein prior to I/R insult significantly blunted I/R-induced elevations of serum aminotransferase levels and significantly improved the histological status of livers. Electron microscopy and expression of the autophagic marker LC3B-II suggested induction of autophagy after baicalein treatment. Moreover, inhibition of the baicalein-induced autophagy using 3-methyladenine (3-MA) worsened liver injury. Furthermore, baicalein treatment increased heme oxygenase (HO)-1 expression, and pharmacological inhibition of HO-1 with tin protoporphyrin IX (SnPP) abolished the baicalein-mediated autophagy and the hepatocellular protection. In primary rat hepatocytes, baicalein-induced autophagy also protected hepatocytes from hypoxia/reoxygenation injury in vitro and the beneficial effect was abrogated by 3-MA or Atg7 siRNA, respectively. Suppression of HO-1 activity by SnPP or HO-1 siRNA prevented the baicalein-mediated autophagy and resulted in increased hepatocellular injury. Collectively, these results suggest that baicalein prevents hepatocellular injury via induction of HO-1-mediated autophagy.