Journal of Addiction & Prevention
Research Article
Alcohol, Anti-HIV Drugs, and/or Hippuric Acid Deteriorate Cellular Stresses in Senescent Hepatocytes and Aging Murine Liver
Chen L, Kaypaghian M, Duran E and Ji C*
Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University
of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
*Address for Correspondence:Cheng Ji, Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los
Angeles, USA. E-mail Id: chengji@usc.edu
Submission: 20 March, 2025
Accepted: 11 April, 2025
Published: 15 April, 2025
Accepted: 11 April, 2025
Published: 15 April, 2025
Copyright: © 2025 Chen L, et al. This is an open access article
distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: Drug Use Disorders; Alcoholism; Cellular Stress;
Senescence of Hepatocytes; Liver Aging and Injury
Abstract
Liver disease has increased recently in aging people living with
HIV and substance use disorders, and little is known about injurious
effects of anti-HIV drugs, alcohol and other substances on cellular
stress responses in senescent hepatocytes and aging liver. In this study,
senescence of two liver cell lines: HepG2 and AML-12, was induced
by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and confirmed by senescence makers
including cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor CKI (p21), senescence associated
β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal), or insulin-like growth factor 1
(IGF1). The cell and mouse models (2-month-old versus 23-month-old)
were treated with ritonavir, lopinavir, ethanol, or cocaine derivative
hippuric acid. Cell stress responses and stress-related metabolic
proteins were evaluated. In non-senescent cells, treatments of alcohol,
ritonavir and lopinavir alone or in combinations increased expression
of endoplasmic reticulum stress related glucose-regulated protein 78
(GRP78) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), had minor effects on
glucose-regulated protein 75 (GRP75) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate
(IP3) receptor type 2 (IP3R2), ubiquitin specific protein 10 (USP10),
USP17, USP20, lipogenic factor peroxisome proliferator-activated
receptor gamma (PPARγ), Ras-related protein Rab-18 (RAB18), or Ras
converting enzyme 1(RCE1). In the senescent cells, alcohol, ritonavir,
lopinavir, and/or hippuric acid induced higher expression of GRP78,
CHOP, IP3R2, USP17, USP20, PPARγ and RAB18, but reduced expression
of GRP75, USP10, and RCE1. In the aged mice fed alcohol diet and the
anti-HIV drugs, hepatic GRP78, CHOP, USP17, PPARγ, and triglycerides,
number of senescent or dead hepatocytes, blood levels of alanine
aminotransferase were significantly increased and RCE1 was reduced
compared to young mice fed alcohol and the drugs. These results
suggest that protein factors and responses that potentially function
in ameliorating cellular stresses are undermined and protein factors
that might cause cell dysfunctions or injury are exacerbated in the
senescent hepatocytes and liver of aged mice treated with alcohol
and anti-HIV drugs.