Transcriptome and Pathway Analysis Reveals that Adipose-derived Stem Cells Target Inflammatory Factors and Delay the Progression of Diabetic Liver Disease.

Abstract

Diabetic liver disease is one of the main complications that leads to the aggravation of diabetes, but it has not received sufficient attention. This study aimed to provide a better understanding of the altered molecular networks in in diabetic rats with liver damage after stem cell therapy. To a certain extent, our research would be instructive, since almost no studies of this kind have been performed on patients with diabetic liver disease after stem cell therapy. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were treated with adipose-derived stem cells. RNA-Seq analysis was performed on the liver tissues of these animals, and key pathway factors were further identified and validated. RNA-Seq analysis revealed numerous affected signaling pathways and functional categories. The results showed that the network of dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1), an oxidative stress-related gene, was prominently activated in the liver after stem cell therapy, and the enrichment of genes associated with liver damage, steatosis and fibrosis was also detected. The extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway may be involved in this process by regulating the nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. These data provide novel insights into liver biology, suggest common alterations in the molecular networks during diabetic liver damage, and show the advantages of stem cell therapy, indicating its further application potential for early treatment of diabetic liver damage and delaying the progression of liver fibrosis in the later stage.