4B). Although STAT3 mice had higher levels of oxidative stress, CCl4 treatment–induced glutathione (GSH) depletion, which was observed in wild-type mice, was not observed in STAT3 mice (Fig. 4B). Why STAT3 mice had higher levels of oxidative stress

without GSH depletion after CCl4 treatment compared with wild-type mice is not clear. Elevated inflammation may trigger some compensatory effects to prevent GSH GSK 3 inhibitor depletion in STAT3 mice, which should be explored in future studies. To understand the mechanism by which STAT3 mice are resistant to CCl4-induced liver injury, we measured activation of hepatic STAT3, a signaling molecule that has been shown to promote hepatocyte survival in the liver.23-25 Basal STAT3 activation (pSTAT3) was higher in STAT3 mice than in wild-type mice (Fig. 4A). Injection with CCl4 induced much higher

and prolonged STAT3 activation in STAT3 mice compared with wild-type mice. Expression of STAT3 protein was also slightly higher in STAT3 mice than in wild-type mice, whereas expression of STAT1 protein was comparable Ridaforolimus in vivo between these groups. Figure 4A shows that the basal levels (0 hour time point) of hepatic pSTAT3 are higher in STAT3 mice than wild-type mice. Our previous study showed that STAT3 mice had similar basal levels of hepatic pSTAT3 compared with wild-type mice (Fig. 2C in Lafdil et al.28). The discrepancy between our current and previous studies was likely attributable to the mice being fed regular chow in the current study and a medicated diet in our previous study. Supporting Fig. S2a confirmed that feeding with a medicated diet abolished the basal levels of hepatic pSTAT3 in STAT3 mice. Despite the diminished basal levels of hepatic pSTAT3 activation after feeding with a medicated diet, STAT3 mice were resistant to CCl4-induced liver injury (elevation of serum ALT/aspartate aminotransferase) (Supporting Fig. S2b). In addition, the basal levels of p38 MAPK were higher in the livers of STAT3 mice compared with wild-type mice, whereas activation of extracellular signal-regulated Amylase kinase in the liver

was lower in STAT3 mice than in wild-type mice (Supporting Fig. S3). Activation of phospho-nuclear factor kappaB p65 was higher in the liver of STAT3 mice compared with wild-type mice after CCl4 injection (Supporting Fig. S3). To understand the mechanisms underlying elevated hepatic STAT3 activation in STAT3 mice, the production and expression of several cytokines (IL-6, IL-22, and oncostatin M [OSM]) and growth factors (hepatocyte growth factor, epidermal growth factor), which stimulate STAT3 activation in hepatocytes, were examined in Kupffer cells. Production and expression of IL-6 were markedly higher in Kupffer cells from STAT3 mice than from wild-type mice with or without lipopolysaccharide stimulation (Fig. 4C, D).