Gadolinium Chloride Rescues Niemann⁻Pick Type C Liver Damage

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 19; no. 11; p. 3599
• Main Authors: Klein, Andrés D, Oyarzún, Juan Esteban, Cortez, Cristian, Zanlungo, Silvana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14.11.2018; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Antigens, CD - genetics; Antigens, CD - metabolism; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic - genetics; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic - metabolism; Apoptosis; Brain diseases; Chlorides; Cholesterol; Cytokines; Endocytosis; Gadolinium - pharmacology; Gadolinium - therapeutic use; gadolinium chloride; Gallbladder diseases; Genetic disorders; Hepatocytes; Inflammation; Ischemia; Kupffer cells; Kupffer Cells - drug effects; Kupffer Cells - metabolism; Lipids; Liver; liver disease; Liver diseases; Magnetic resonance imaging; Metabolic disorders; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mutation; Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C - drug therapy; Niemann–Pick type C disease; Npc1 protein; Pathogenesis; Patients; Proteins - genetics; Proteins - metabolism; Salts; therapeutic option; Transaminase; India; cholesterol; gadolinium chloride; therapeutic option; liver disease; Niemann–Pick type C disease
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms19113599

Niemann⁻Pick type C (NPC) disease is a rare neurovisceral cholesterol storage disorder that arises from loss of function mutations in the or genes. Soon after birth, some patients present with an aggressive hepatosplenomegaly and cholestatic signs. Histopathologically, the liver presents with large numbers of foam cells; however, their role in disease pathogenesis has not been explored in depth. Here, we studied the consequences of gadolinium chloride (GdCl₃) treatment, a well-known Kupffer/foam cell inhibitor, at late stages of NPC liver disease and compared it with NPC1 genetic rescue in hepatocytes in vivo. GdCl₃ treatment successfully blocked the endocytic capacity of hepatic Kupffer/foam measured by India ink endocytosis, decreased the levels CD68-A marker of Kupffer cells in the liver-and normalized the transaminase levels in serum of NPC mice to a similar extent to those obtained by genetic rescue of liver cells. Gadolinium salts are widely used as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrasts. This study opens the possibility of targeting foam cells with gadolinium or by other means for improving NPC liver disease. Synopsis: Gadolinium chloride can effectively rescue some parameters of liver dysfunction in NPC mice and its potential use in patients should be carefully evaluated.