A liver-selective LXR inverse agonist that suppresses hepatic steatosis

ACS Chem Biol. 2013 Mar 15;8(3):559-67. doi: 10.1021/cb300541g. Epub 2012 Dec 27.

Abstract

Fatty liver, which often accompanies obesity and type 2 diabetes, frequently leads to a much more debilitating hepatic disease including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Current pharmacological therapies lack conclusive efficacy and thus treatment options are limited. Novel therapeutics that suppress either hepatic lipogenesis and/or hepatic inflammation may be useful. Here, we describe the development of the first selective synthetic LXR inverse agonist (SR9238) and demonstrate that this compound effectively suppresses hepatic lipogenesis, inflammation, and hepatic lipid accumulation in a mouse model of non-alcoholic hepatosteatosis. SR9238 displays high potency for both LXRα and LXRβ (40-200 nM IC50) and was designed to display liver specificity so as to avoid potential side effects due to suppression of LXR in the periphery. Unexpectedly, treatment of diet-induced obese mice with SR9238 suppressed plasma cholesterol levels. These data indicate that liver-selective LXR inverse agonists may hold utility in the treatment of liver disease.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cholesterol / blood
  • Cholesterol / metabolism
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Inverse Agonism*
  • Fatty Liver / drug therapy*
  • Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings / administration & dosage
  • Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings / chemistry
  • Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings / pharmacology*
  • Humans
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Liver X Receptors
  • Mice
  • Mice, Obese
  • Molecular Structure
  • Organ Specificity
  • Orphan Nuclear Receptors / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Orphan Nuclear Receptors / metabolism
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings
  • Liver X Receptors
  • NR1H3 protein, human
  • Nr1h3 protein, mouse
  • Orphan Nuclear Receptors
  • SR9238
  • Cholesterol