A Therapeutic Silencing RNA Targeting Hepatocyte TAZ Prevents and Reverses Fibrosis in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in Mice

Hepatol Commun. 2019 Jul 23;3(9):1221-1234. doi: 10.1002/hep4.1405. eCollection 2019 Sep.

Abstract

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is emerging as a major public health issue and is associated with significant liver-related morbidity and mortality. At present, there are no approved drug therapies for NASH. The transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ; encoded by WW domain-containing transcription regulator 1 [WWTR1]) is up-regulated in hepatocytes in NASH liver from humans and has been shown to causally promote inflammation and fibrosis in mouse models of NASH. As a preclinical test of targeting hepatocyte TAZ to treat NASH, we injected stabilized TAZ small interfering RNA (siRNA) bearing the hepatocyte-specific ligand N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc-siTAZ) into mice with dietary-induced NASH. As a preventative regimen, GalNAc-siTAZ inhibited inflammation, hepatocellular injury, and the expression of profibrogenic mediators, accompanied by decreased progression from steatosis to NASH. When administered to mice with established NASH, GalNAc-siTAZ partially reversed hepatic inflammation, injury, and fibrosis. Conclusion: Hepatocyte-targeted siTAZ is potentially a novel and clinically feasible treatment for NASH.