Fibroblast growth factor 1 prevents hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis

动脉粥样硬化是由斑块积聚引起的动脉狭窄。血脂异常，尤其是低- 密度脂蛋白胆固醇是动脉粥样硬化斑块形成的主要危险因素。的现行疗法 动脉粥样硬化集中于降低胆固醇。然而，传统的降脂治疗（如他汀类药物） 都有明显的副作用需要开发更具体和更有效的治疗方法。 成纤维细胞生长因子1（FGF 1）因其在心血管疾病中的治疗作用而被广泛研究 主要利用其促有丝分裂功能。最近，FGF 1显示出发挥意想不到的代谢活性， 通过调节脂肪重塑和葡萄糖稳态，显示出治疗代谢性疾病的潜力， 综合征然而，野生型FGF 1（FGF 1 WT）诱导的过度增殖可导致肿瘤发生风险增加; 这成为其广泛应用的主要障碍。为了降低这种风险，我们最近设计了一种 携带肝素结合位点三重突变的部分FGF 1激动剂（FGF 1 ΔHBS）， FGF 1 WT具有增殖潜力，但保持完全的FGF 1 WT代谢活性。值得注意的是，db/db小鼠的慢性治疗 FGF 1 ΔHBS几乎完全逆转了糖尿病相关的NAFLD。这些发现表明，FGF 1 ΔHBS是一种 潜在的安全和有效的治疗方法，用于治疗代谢综合征。 尽管对FGF 1代谢功能的表征仍在进行中，但关于其在代谢中的作用知之甚少。 动脉粥样硬化一个小的病例观察发现，在新生血管化和 巨噬细胞丰富的区域的斑块，这意味着潜在的病理作用的FGF 1在人类动脉粥样硬化。 然而，FGF 1是否以及如何在动脉粥样硬化形成中发挥有益或有害的作用仍有待研究。我们 最近研究了给予FGF 1对ApoE-KO小鼠动脉粥样硬化发病机制的影响 发现FGF 1 ΔHBS显著改善动脉粥样硬化表型， 肝脏的潜力此外，FGF 1治疗降低了血液、肝脏和肠道中的胆固醇水平， 粪便中胆固醇含量增加。这些初步数据表明，FGF 1对胆固醇的调节 肝和肠中的内稳态负责其免受动脉粥样硬化的保护。肝脏是主要的 胆固醇生物合成的位点，而肠通过介导肠 饮食和胆汁胆固醇的吸收。因此，我们假设非促有丝分裂变异FGF 1 ΔHBS 通过抑制肝脏胆固醇合成和抑制肠 胆固醇吸收而没有过度增殖的风险。我们将在三个具体目标中检验这一假设： 1)探讨FGF 1在动脉粥样硬化发生发展中的作用; 2）探讨FGF 1在动脉粥样硬化发生发展中的作用及机制 3）研究FGF 1对肝脏胆固醇生物合成的影响及其机制。 胆固醇吸收本研究为FGF 1 ΔHBS作用于肝细胞提供了基础证据 和肠上皮细胞作为一种新的方法，预防动脉粥样硬化在未来的临床研究。

Atherosclerosis is a narrowing of arteries caused by plaque buildup. Dyslipidemia, especially elevated low- density lipoprotein cholesterol, is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic plaque formation. Current therapies for atherosclerosis focus on lowering cholesterol. However, conventional lipid lowering therapies (such as statins) are associated with obvious side effects. Developing more specific and efficient treatments are needed. Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) has been widely studied for its therapeutic benefits in cardiovascular disorders primary utilization of its mitogenic functions. Recently, FGF1 was shown to exert an unexpected metabolic activity by regulating adipose remodeling and glucose homeostasis, demonstrating a potential for treatment of metabolic syndrome. However, wild-type FGF1 (FGF1WT) induced hyperproliferation can lead to increased tumorigenic risk; this becomes the primary obstacle for its widespread application. To reduce this risk, we recently engineered a partial FGF1 agonist carrying triple mutations of the heparin-binding sites (FGF1ΔHBS), which abolished proliferative potential, but maintains full FGF1WT metabolic activity. Notably, chronic treatment of db/db mice with FGF1ΔHBS almost completely reversed diabetes-associated NAFLD. These findings suggest that FGF1ΔHBS is a potentially safe and efficient therapeutic approach for treatment of metabolic syndrome. Although characterization of the metabolic functions of FGF1 is ongoing, little is known about its roles in atherosclerosis. A small case observation found an increased FGF1 expression in neovascularized and macrophage-rich regions of plaque, implying a potential pathological role of FGF1 in human atherogenesis. However, whether and how FGF1 plays beneficial or detrimental roles in atherogenesis remain unexplored. We recently examined the impact of FGF1 administration on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in ApoE-KO mice and found that FGF1ΔHBS markedly ameliorated atherosclerotic phenotypes without significant proliferative potential in liver. Furthermore, FGF1 treatment reduced cholesterol levels in the blood, liver and intestine, but increased cholesterol contents in feces. These preliminary data indicate that FGF1 regulation of cholesterol homeostasis in both liver and intestine is responsible for its protection from atherosclerosis. The liver is a major site for cholesterol biosynthesis while the intestine maintains cholesterol homeostasis by mediating intestinal absorption of dietary and biliary cholesterol. Therefore, we hypothesize that non-mitogenic variant FGF1ΔHBS prevents atherosclerosis by inhibiting hepatic cholesterol synthesis and suppressing intestinal cholesterol absorption without risks of hyperproliferation. We will test the hypothesis in three specific aims: 1) Determine the roles of FGF1 in the development of atherosclerosis; 2) Determine the effects and mechanism of FGF1 on hepatic cholesterol biosynthesis; 3) Determine the effects and mechanism of FGF1 on intestinal cholesterol absorption. This project will provide fundamental evidence for FGF1ΔHBS acting at the hepatocytes and intestinal enterocytes as a novel approach for the prevention of atherosclerosis in future clinical studies.