FGF4 ameliorates the liver inflammation by reducing M1 macrophage polarization in experimental autoimmune hepatitis

The global prevalence of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is increasing due in part to the lack of effective pharmacotherapies. Growing evidence suggests that fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) is crucial for diverse aspects of liver pathophysiology. However, its role in AIH remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether FGF4 can regulate M1 macrophage and thereby help treat liver inflammation in AIH.

We obtained transcriptome-sequencing and clinical data for patients with AIH. Mice were injected with concanavalin A to induce experimental autoimmune hepatitis (EAH). The mechanism of action of FGF4 was examined using macrophage cell lines and bone marrow-derived macrophages.

We observed higher expression of markers associated with M1 and M2 macrophages in patients with AIH than that in individuals without AIH. EAH mice showed greater M1-macrophage polarization than control mice. The expression of M1-macrophage markers correlated positively with FGF4 expression. The loss of hepatic Fgf4 aggravated hepatic inflammation by increasing the abundance of M1 macrophages. In contrast, the pharmacological administration of FGF4 mitigated hepatic inflammation by reducing M1-macrophage levels. The efficacy of FGF4 treatment was compromised following the in vivo clearance of macrophage populations. Mechanistically, FGF4 treatment activated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (AKT)-signal pathway in macrophages, which led to reduced M1 macrophages and hepatic inflammation.

We identified FGF4 as a novel M1/M2 macrophage-phenotype regulator that acts through the PI3K-AKT-signaling pathway, suggesting that FGF4 may represent a novel target for treating inflammation in patients with AIH.