中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网(NET)与肝脏疾病的关系
DOI: 10.12449/JCH240334
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摘要: 中性粒细胞通过释放中性粒细胞弹性蛋白酶和髓过氧化物酶等蛋白酶,形成中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网(NET),在体内发挥免疫防御作用,并参与多种肝病的炎性反应,但其过度释放会加重肝组织损伤,成为肝脏疾病的危险因素之一。近年来,有研究发现NET的过度释放可促进病毒性肝炎、非酒精性脂肪性肝炎、肝脏缺血再灌注损伤等疾病向肝癌进展,阐明NET作用机制对肝脏疾病的诊断和进展过程具有重要意义。本文主要阐述NET在肝脏疾病中的最新研究进展,为肝脏疾病的诊疗和预防提供新的思路。Abstract: Neutrophils play an immune defense role by releasing the proteases such as neutrophil elastase and myeloperoxidase to form neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) and participate in the inflammatory response of various liver diseases, but the excessive release of NET may worsen liver tissue damage and has thus become one of the risk factors for liver diseases. In recent years, studies have shown that the excessive release of NET can promote the progression of liver diseases (such as viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury) to liver cancer, and clarifying the mechanism of action of NET is of great importance for the diagnosis and progression of liver diseases. Therefore, this article elaborates on the latest research advances in NET in liver diseases, so as to provide new insights into the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases and the prevention of liver cancer.
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Key words:
- Extracellular Traps /
- Liver Diseases /
- Liver Neoplasms
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中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网(neutrophil extracellular traps,NET)可由致病菌、免疫复合物、血小板、佛波酯(phorbol myristate acetate,PMA)和脂多糖(lipopolysaccharide,LPS)等刺激中性粒细胞产生[1]。其释放过度会导致多种免疫细胞相互作用,促使IL-8、IL-6、TNF-α等多种细胞因子分泌,从而促进炎症引发组织损伤[2]。NET不但与自身免疫疾病、癌症和血栓形成在内的几种疾病的病理生理有关,而且近些年研究表明,NET在肝脏疾病中发挥重要作用,且NET的过度释放还可加速肝脏疾病向肝癌的进展。本文通过综述NET在乙型肝炎、非酒精性脂肪性肝炎(NASH)、缺血再灌注损伤、肝脏肿瘤中的最新研究进展,为相关肝病的诊疗和肝癌的预防提供新的思路。
1. NET形成机制与肝脏病理机制
1.1 NET形成机制
NET是细菌、病毒、细胞因子、LPS和PMA等物质刺激中性粒细胞产生的,其中PMA[3]能够最大限度激活中性粒细胞,形成由中性粒细胞弹性酶(neutrophil elastase,NE)、髓过氧化物酶(myeloperoxidase,MPO)、瓜氨酸化组蛋白(H3 citrullination,H3cit)等组成的纤维网状结构[4]。此过程不同于凋亡和坏死的死亡方式,被称为“NETosis”。且根据是否导致中性粒细胞死亡分为可溶性NET和非可溶性NET两种,又称为氧化依赖性和非氧化依赖性。
可溶性NET是中性粒细胞在PMA[3]刺激下,结合PKC和RAF-MEK-MARK信号通路,使NADPH酶激活释放氧自由基(ROS),从而激活肽基精氨酸脱亚胺酶4(peptidyl arginine deiminase 4,PAD4)使组蛋白上精氨酸正电消失,并转化为瓜氨酸,导致DNA和组蛋白间电荷破坏,染色质解体。解体的染色质和颗粒蛋白释放到细胞外空间形成NET,其中,ROS产生是NET形成的关键。在可溶性NET形成后,由于染色质的解体,中性粒细胞丧失吞噬和趋化作用。非可溶性NET是细菌[5]、Toll样受体2(TLR2)[6]刺激中性粒细胞,激活PAD4,使NE易位进入细胞核,细胞核中的染色质通过囊泡形式排出细胞外形成的。此过程不依赖NADPH酶,且不破坏质膜,因此,在非可溶性NET形成过程中中性粒细胞仍具有吞噬和趋化能力。
1.2 NET形成与肝脏病理机制
NET在肝脏中通过Kupffer细胞和中性粒细胞清除血源性细菌,发挥先天自身免疫的关键任务。其中,Kupffer细胞具有免疫球蛋白超家族补体受体(CRIg),可识别补体C3调理颗粒、外源性抗原及病原体,捕获及吞噬病原体[7]。另外,Kupffer细胞可通过招募血小板,使Kupffer细胞表面血管性血友病因子(vWF)与血小板糖蛋白(GPIb)相结合,导致血小板聚集,促进细菌的清除(图1)。其机制尚未清楚,可能原因是Kupffer细胞激活内皮细胞Toll样受体4(TLR4),使得中性粒细胞黏附于肝窦内皮细胞,包围感染的Kupffer细胞,从而阻止病原体通过血液传播。研究表明,黏附的中性粒细胞能与整合素介导的血小板相结合触发NET释放,通过中性粒细胞-血小板-NET轴刺激颗粒蛋白,其中组蛋白激活凝血酶[8],使其进而形成纤维蛋白原,导致肝窦内微血管血栓的形成(图1)。凝血酶的产生不仅导致纤维蛋白原凝块的形成,还可通过蛋白酶激活受体增强血小板的活性。NE和MPO又通过蛋白酶激活受体激活血小板,释放NET。综上所述,NET在肝脏中形成过程是一种循环,即肝脏中性粒细胞-血小板-NET轴,血小板诱导NET形成,NET自身蛋白颗粒又激活血小板,此循环既有利于致病菌的清除,又加重了炎症的进展,促进凝血和组织损伤。
2. NET与肝脏疾病的联系
肝脏是杀死致病菌,发挥免疫防御的重要器官。NET被报道参与一系列疾病的发生发展,如自身免疫性疾病、血液性疾病、癌症等。现有研究表明,NET也在肝脏疾病中扮演着重要的角色。
2.1 HBV感染
慢性HBV感染与肝纤维化、肝硬化及肝癌的发生密切相关。越来越多的研究表明,HBV感染与NET间存在一定联系。当机体感染HBV时,中性粒细胞功能降低,ROS的产生出现障碍,进而抑制NET形成。Hu等[9]研究表明,HBV C蛋白或HBV E蛋白通过减少ROS的产生和自噬来抑制NET释放,其中自噬机制是纤维蛋白原样蛋白2(Fgl2)与粘脂蛋白3(Mccoln3)直接结合,调节钙离子内流启动自噬,引发Fgl2-Mccoln3-自噬轴,从而触发NET的形成,加重病毒性肝炎的肝损伤[10](图2)。另外,对HBV感染小鼠模型的研究发现,NET形成区域有大量的纤维蛋白沉积。这意味着NET与血栓可能存在关联,可能是由于Fgl2将凝血酶原转化为凝血酶,促进纤维蛋白沉积,其具体机制值得进一步研究。综上所述,在HBV感染时,NET不仅能捕获病毒,还能引起纤维蛋白的沉积和血栓的形成,也可加重病毒性肝炎的肝损伤。
2.2 NASH
NASH是最常见的肝病之一,可由肝纤维化发展为肝硬化和肝细胞癌(HCC)[11]。研究发现,NET中的标志蛋白MPO和NE在NASH的发生发展过程中发挥着重要作用。Puli等[12]通过NE基因敲除的小鼠和野生型小鼠建立NASH模型,发现野生型NASH小鼠肝组织中NE表达增加,且NASH患者血清标志物MPO-DNA水平升高,抑制MPO能显著降低肝星状细胞的激活,导致肝纤维化发展和肝细胞损伤。Xu等[13]发现丹参酮(TⅡA)能够抑制MPO和H3cit,进而抑制NET释放,同时也证明TⅡA能够改善NASH小鼠的肝脂肪变性,降低血清中肝功能障碍标志物的表达水平。其次,多种细胞因子也可作用于NET与NASH,如IL-6和TNF-α促炎因子,刺激NASH患者NET的形成,且增强NASH促凝血活性[14]。另外,Wang等[15]通过小鼠模型研究发现,NET可通过促进调节性T淋巴细胞(Treg)分化,促进NASH脂肪变性,导致肝脏肿瘤的发生和发展(图2),抑制NET可降低NASH肝脏中Treg活性及肿瘤的发生。
2.3 肝缺血再灌注损伤
缺血再灌注损伤是先天免疫性的无菌炎症反应,常发生于肝移植术后和肝切除术后。越来越多的研究发现,中性粒细胞作为肝缺血再灌注损伤的主要驱动力,缺血后释放ROS,促进NET形成,进而加重肝损伤[16]。如高迁移率族蛋白1(nuclear factor high mobility group box 1,HMGB1)通过TLR4诱导染色体解聚,形成NET发挥促炎作用[17],而羟氯喹通过阻断TLR9抑制PAD4的表达来抑制NET形成[16],保护肝缺血再灌注损伤。除这些化学物质外,一些炎性因子也会导致肝缺血再灌注损伤加剧,研究人员[18]通过计算机动态网络分析,发现肝缺血再灌注损伤后,IL-17A促进中性粒细胞浸润和NET形成,加重肝损伤。在富含组氨酸糖蛋白(histidine-rich glycoprotein,HRG)小鼠模型中发现,HRG小鼠存在严重肝损伤且伴有中性粒细胞和NET形成增加,通过HRG预处理后可抑制中性粒细胞和NET形成,减轻小鼠缺血再灌注损伤[19]。另外,黄姜素也可通过抑制MEK/ERK信号通路来减轻肝缺血再灌注损伤[20]。此外,研究[21]发现苯甲酸酰肼、西维来司等化学物质也可通过抑制NET的形成减轻缺血再灌注损伤(表1)。综上所述,抑制NET的释放可减轻肝缺血再灌注损伤,这为肝移植术后和肝切除术后的缺血再灌注损伤提供了治疗策略。
表 1 影响肝缺血再灌注损伤的因素Table 1. Factors that influence hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury2.4 NET与肝癌
HCC是我国发病率和病死率较高的恶性肿瘤,超过90%的HCC发生于HBV、NASH等代谢性疾病和缺血再灌注损伤引起的肝损伤[23]。研究[24]表明,肿瘤细胞通过释放趋化因子、蛋白酶及活化的血小板触发肿瘤微环境,将中性粒细胞招募至肿瘤微环境形成肿瘤相关中性粒细胞释放NET。相反,NET释放的NE、基质金属蛋白酶9(MMP-9)、组织蛋白酶G(CG)也可刺激癌细胞的增殖和迁移,进而促进肿瘤转移(图2)。随着研究深入,人们发现NET能促进HCC的生长和转移,主要表现为血管生成增加、上皮-间质转化(EMT)相关细胞迁移、细胞外基质降解和细胞捕获。研究[25]发现,NET血浆标志物在肝硬化中升高,与肝硬化和/或HCC患者的肝功能障碍程度相关。Kaltenmeier等[26]和Wang等[27]通过对肝脏恶性肿瘤患者的血清和组织进行回顾性分析证明,NET能促进HCC的生长和转移,通过阻断CXCL2可减弱中性粒细胞向肿瘤的募集和NET的形成,并抑制HCC进展,同时该研究表明NET血清标志物可作为术前判断HCC复发风险的指标。Guan等[28]研究发现NET可捕获HCC细胞,被捕获的HCC细胞通过中和Toll样受体TLR4/9-CCOX2信号传导,激发肝细胞的转移潜能,若抑制TLR4/9-CCOX2信号传导或DNaseⅠ直接破坏NET,就可减少小鼠模型HCC的转移。Yang等[29]研究发现,HCC能够刺激富含氧化线粒体DNA的NET,从而促进HCC的转移。综上所述,NET在HCC中发挥了重要作用,干预肿瘤相关中性粒细胞抑制NET形成可成为肝癌治疗的新靶标[30]。
3. 小结
近年来,国内外研究表明,NET除发挥免疫防御作用外,还从多方面参与肝脏疾病的病理生理过程,其关键成分MPO、H3cit等蛋白对疾病的发生发展都起着关键作用。本文总结了NET在乙型肝炎、NASH、缺血再灌注损伤等多种疾病发生发展中的作用。虽然NET在肝脏疾病中的具体作用机制研究尚处于起步阶段,但已有的研究[31]结果表明,DNase Ⅰ或PAD4抑制剂通过抑制NET形成,可减少多种原因所致肝损伤及肝癌的发展,使用此类抑制剂可减少中性粒细胞向肿瘤的募集。但目前NET在肝脏疾病中的研究尚处于初级阶段,未来深入研究NET对肝脏疾病的影响及机制,以期为肝脏疾病治疗和预后的早期识别提供新的思路。
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表 1 影响肝缺血再灌注损伤的因素
Table 1. Factors that influence hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury
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