The genomic responses of mouse liver to diclofenac treatment reveals an immune mediated mechanism of liver injury

Diclofenac (DCL) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Its use can be associated with serious adverse drug reactions most notable myocardial infarction and drug-induced liver injury (DILI). The molecular causes leading to DILI remains unclear and it seems to be multifactorial. The aims of this study is to identify the molecular mechanisms involving immune mediated inflammatory reactions and its link to DILI through whole genome gene expression profiling. Diclofenac was given to mice at 30 mg/kg for 1, 3 and 14 days. Microarray experiments were performed with RNA extracts from liver samples. The performed gene expression studies showed >600 significantly regulated genes after single and repeated dosing for 3 and 14 days. The functional annotation revealed several genes were regulated in common coding for inflammatory, immune, stress and acute-phase responses. Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR as well as Western blotting were performed to evidence the regulation of key molecules in affected livers. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence for a mechanism of diclofenac induced liver injury that involves pro-inflammatory cytokine and acute phase responses.

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Lee EH, Oh JH, Selvaraj S, Park SM, Choi MS, Spanel R, Yoon S, Borlak J