Dysregulation of xenobiotic metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction exacerbate acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity...

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is a leading cause of acute liver failure worldwide. The RNA-binding protein Human antigen R (HuR) is a multifunctional post-transcriptional regulator that plays a pivotal role in cellular stress responses, including those triggered by APAP toxicity. This study investigated the protective role and mechanisms of HuR in APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in male mice. Hepatocyte-specific HuR-deficient (HuR^Hep-/-) mice on a C57BL/6 N background and wild-type (WT) littermates were treated with 200 mg/kg APAP, and liver tissues were collected at 2, 6, and 24 h post-treatment. APAP exposure increased hepatic HuR mRNA expression and induced both HuR cleavage and the formation of a higher-molecular-weight HuR species, which correlated with injury severity. Compared with WT controls, HuR^Hep-/- mice exhibited markedly increased susceptibility to hepatotoxicity at both 2 and 6 h. Metabolite profiling revealed altered APAP metabolism and reduced expression of glutathione S-transferases (Gsts) in HuR^Hep-/- livers, consistent with impaired detoxification and increased APAP-protein adduct formation. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy further identified early biochemical alterations between genotypes as early as 2 h after APAP exposure. HuR deficiency also resulted in pronounced mitochondrial structural abnormalities and dysfunction, accompanied by reduced expression of mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins (Drp1 and Mfn2), increased mitochondrial protein release, and enhanced hepatocyte death. Mechanistically, HuR inhibition and overexpression studies demonstrated its regulatory role in genes involved in detoxification and mitochondrial integrity. Ribonucleoprotein immunoprecipitation (RNP-IP) confirmed direct binding of HuR to mRNAs encoding mitochondrial dynamics proteins (Drp1, Mfn2), detoxification enzymes (Gsta4, Gstm6), and antioxidant regulators (Nrf2, Gclc, Gclm). Collectively, these findings identify hepatocyte HuR as a critical regulator of xenobiotic metabolism and mitochondrial function and establish the essential role of HuR in early protection against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity.