Repurposing of the analgesic Neurotropin for MASLD/MASH treatment

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has increased in recent decades. Approximately 25% of patients with MASLD progress to metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis, which is characterized by hepatic steatosis plus hepatocyte damage, inflammation, and fibrosis. We previously reported that Neurotropin (NTP), a drug used for relieving pain in Japan and China, inhibits lipid accumulation in hepatocytes by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction. We hypothesized that inhibiting hepatic steatosis and inflammation by NTP can be an effective strategy for treating MASLD and tested this hypothesis in a MASLD mouse model. Methods: Six-week-old C57BL/6NJ male mice were fed a normal diet and normal drinking water or a high-fat diet with high fructose/glucose water for 12 weeks. During the last 6 weeks, the mice were also given high-dose NTP, low-dose NTP, or control treatment. Histologic, biochemical, and functional tests were conducted. MitoPlex, a new proteomic platform, was used to measure mitochondrial proteins, as mitochondrial dysfunction was previously reported to be associated with MASLD progression. Results: NTP inhibited the development of hepatic steatosis, injury, inflammation, and fibrosis induced by feeding a high-fat diet plus high fructose/glucose in drinking water. NTP also inhibited HSC activation. MitoPlex analysis revealed that NTP upregulated the expression of mitochondrial proteins related to oxidative phosphorylation, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, mitochondrial dynamics, and fatty acid transport. Conclusions: Our results indicate that NTP prevents the development of hepatic steatosis, injury, and inflammation by preserving mitochondrial function in the liver and inhibits liver fibrosis by suppressing HSC activation. Thus, repurposing NTP may be a beneficial option for treating MASLD/metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis.