Cell-specific regulation of insulin action and hepatic fibrosis by CEACAM1

The incidence of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has reached an epidemic rise worldwide. The disease is a constellation of a broad range of metabolic and histopathologic abnormalities. It begins with hepatic steatosis and progresses to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), including hepatic fibrosis, apoptosis, and cell injury. Despite ample research effort, the pathogenesis of the disease has not been fully delineated. Whereas insulin resistance is implicated in the early stages of the disease, its role in hepatic fibrosis remains controversial. We have focused our studies on the role of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) in hepatocytes and endothelial cells in the metabolic and histopathological dysregulation in MASH. Patients with MASH exhibit lower hepatic CEACAM1 with a progressive decline in hepatocytes and endothelial cells as the fibrosis stage advances. In mice, conditional deletion of CEACAM1 in hepatocytes impairs insulin clearance to cause hyperinsulinemia-driven insulin resistance with steatohepatitis and hepatic fibrosis even when mice are fed a regular chow diet. In contrast, its conditional deletion in endothelial cells causes inflammation-driven hepatic fibrosis without adversely affecting metabolism (mice remain insulin-sensitive and do not develop hepatic steatosis). Thus, this review provides in vivo evidence that supports or discards the role of insulin resistance in liver injury and hepatic fibrosis.