1175-P: Inhibition of FBXO48 Improves Metabolic Changes Associated with NAFLD by Inhibiting Proteasomal Degradation of Phosphorylated AMPKa

Abstract

Hypothesis: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in developed countries yet there are no FDA-approved therapies for the disease. AMPK is a cellular energy sensor that coordinates metabolic pathways to balance energy demand with production. Growing evidence suggests loss of AMPK activity contributes to NAFLD. We recently identified an orphan F-box protein, FBXO48, which mediates the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of phosphorylated AMPKα (pAMPK). We hypothesized that increasing pAMPK levels via inhibition of FBXO48 would improve glucose homeostasis and slow NAFLD progression. Methods: Twelve-week old male wildtype (WT) mice were fed low-fat diet (LFD) or “fast food” diet (FFD) for 24 weeks and then given vehicle (VEH) or a small molecule FBXO48 inhibitor (SMI; 5 mg/kg/d) for 8 weeks. We measured changes in body weight/composition, performed glucose tolerance tests (GTT), and collected plasma and liver for analysis. Results: SMI had no significant effect on body weight or composition, although body weight and fat mass were 2.4 and 2.1 g less in SMI FFD compared with VEH FFD mice, suggesting a modest effect on weight loss. SMI significantly improved glucose homeostasis in FFD mice and restored plasma glucose levels during GTT to those observed in LFD mice. SMI had no effect on liver triglyceride levels in LFD mice and produced a 15% non-significant reduction in FFD mice. Gene expression of inflammation markers Cd68 and Ccl2 were significantly reduced in SMI FFD compared with VEH FFD mice, as were markers of fibrosis Col1a1 and Col3a1. Conclusions: Our data suggest that increasing pAMPK levels through inhibition of FBXO48 may be a viable treatment option for improving glucose homeostasis and reducing inflammation/fibrosis associated with NAFLD. Disclosure A. Murali: None. L. R. Edmunds: None. B. Xie: None. B. Chen: Board Member; Self; Generian, Employee; Self; Generian. Y. Liu: Employee; Self; Generian. M. J. Jurczak: None. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK007052R01, DK119627)