Amelioration of Hypercholesterolemia by an EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor in Mice with Liver-Specific Knockout of Mig-6

作者:Lee Jun Choul; Park Byung Kil; Choung Sorim; Kim Ji Min; Joung Kyong Hye; Lee Ju Hee; Kim Koon Soon; Kim Hyun Jin; Jeong Jae Wook; Dal Rhee Sang*; Ku Bon Jeong
来源:PLos One, 2014, 9(12): e114782.
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0114782

摘要

Mitogen-inducible gene 6 (Mig-6) is a negative feedback inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. We previously found that Mig-6 plays a critical role in the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis and in bile acid synthesis. In this study, we investigated the effects of EGFR inhibition to identify a potential new treatment target for hypercholesterolemia. We used a mouse model with conditional ablation of the Mig-6 gene in the liver (Alb(cre/+) Mig-6(f/f); Mig-6(d/d)) to effectively investigate the role of Mig-6 in the regulation of liver function. Mig-6(d/d) mice were treated with either the EGFR inhibitor gefitinib or statin for 6 weeks after administration of a high-fat or standard diet. We then compared lipid profiles and other parameters among each group of mice. After a high-fat diet, Mig-6(d/d) mice showed elevated serum levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose, characteristics resembling hypercholesterolemia in diabetic patients. We observed decreases in serum levels of lipids and glucose in high-fat-diet-fed Mig-6(d/d) mice after 6 weeks of treatment with gefitinib or statin. Furthermore gefitinib-treated mice showed significantly greater decreases in serum levels of total, HDL and LDL cholesterol compared with statin-treated mice. Taken together, these results suggest that EGFR inhibition is effective for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia in high-fat-diet-fed Mig-6(d/d) mice, and our findings provide new insights into the development of possible treatment targets for hypercholesterolemia via modulation of EGFR inhibition.

  • 出版日期2014-12-8