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Palmitoylethanolamide Ameliorates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Rats

Overview of attention for article published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, July 2018
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Title
Palmitoylethanolamide Ameliorates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Rats
Published in
Frontiers in Pharmacology, July 2018
DOI 10.3389/fphar.2018.00709
Pubmed ID
Authors

Masatsugu Ohara, Shunsuke Ohnishi, Hidetaka Hosono, Koji Yamamoto, Qingjie Fu, Osamu Maehara, Goki Suda, Naoya Sakamoto

Abstract

Background: Liver fibrosis is a complex inflammatory and fibrogenic process, and the progression of fibrosis leads to cirrhosis. The only therapeutic approaches are the removal of injurious stimuli and liver transplantation. Therefore, the development of anti-fibrotic therapies is desired. Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endogenous fatty acid amide belonging to the N-acylethanolamines family and contained in foods such as egg yolks and peanuts. PEA has therapeutic anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and neuroprotective effects. However, the effects and roles of PEA in liver fibrosis remain unknown. Here we investigated the therapeutic effects of PEA in rats with liver fibrosis. Methods: We conducted in vitro experiments to investigate the effects of PEA on the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs, LX-2). Liver fibrosis was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of 1.5 mL/kg of 50% carbon tetrachloride twice a week for 4 weeks. Beginning at 3 weeks, PEA (20 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected thrice a week for 2 weeks. Then rats were sacrificed and we performed histological and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses. Results: The expression of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) induced by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 in HSCs was significantly downregulated by PEA. PEA treatment inhibited the TGF-β1-induced phosphorylation of SMAD2 in a dose-dependent manner, and upregulated the expression of SMAD7. The reporter gene assay demonstrated that PEA downregulated the transcriptional activity of the SMAD complex upregulated by TGF-β1. Administration of PEA significantly reduced the fibrotic area, deposition of type I collagen, and activation of HSCs and Kupffer cells in rats with liver fibrosis. Conclusion: Activation of HSCs was significantly decreased by PEA through suppression of the TGF-β1/SMAD signaling pathway. Administration of PEA produced significant improvement in a rat model of liver fibrosis, possibly by inhibiting the activation of HSCs and Kupffer cells. PEA may be a potential new treatment for liver fibrosis.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 17 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 17 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Researcher 4 24%
Student > Master 2 12%
Professor > Associate Professor 1 6%
Student > Bachelor 1 6%
Unspecified 1 6%
Other 0 0%
Unknown 8 47%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 3 18%
Medicine and Dentistry 2 12%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 1 6%
Unspecified 1 6%
Immunology and Microbiology 1 6%
Other 1 6%
Unknown 8 47%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 05 February 2021.
All research outputs
#18,170,573
of 23,340,595 outputs
Outputs from Frontiers in Pharmacology
#7,423
of 16,802 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#237,236
of 327,736 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Frontiers in Pharmacology
#164
of 394 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,340,595 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 19th percentile – i.e., 19% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 16,802 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a little more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 5.1. This one is in the 48th percentile – i.e., 48% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 327,736 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 22nd percentile – i.e., 22% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 394 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 50% of its contemporaries.