Passively Targeted Polymeric Nanocarrier Delivering STAT1 siRNA to the Liver Ameliorates Steatohepatitis and Fibrosis in the Thioacetamide Mouse Model
Klea Mehmetaj, Antea Jorgo, WanLing Foo, Zoltán Cseresnyés, Julian Plitzko, Tanveer Ahmed Shaik, Quratul Ain, Anuradha Ramoji, Sophie Huschke, Ling Xiong, Alexander Zipprich, Jürgen Popp, Marc Thilo Figge, Volker Deckert, Stephanie Schubert, Nikolaus Gassler, Felix H. Schacher, Michael Bauer, Adrian T. PressAbstract
Liver fibrosis is a major complication of chronic liver injury, driven in part by Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 1 (Stat1). This study evaluated passively liver-targeted polymeric nanocarriers delivering Stat1 siRNA (siSTAT1) to treat steatohepatitis and fibrosis in a thioacetamide (TAA) mouse model. Two polyplex nanocarriers with different core−corona ratios, EN15 and EN76, were tested in TAA-treated mice and activated human and murine hepatocytes. In vitro, both formulations enabled efficient cellular uptake and Stat1 silencing, reducing TAA-induced lipid accumulation. Through an In vivo approach, mice received TAA for 16 weeks followed by four weeks of siSTAT1 treatment. Both formulations reduced collagen deposition, hepatic inflammation, and fibrosis scores. Notably, EN76, which preferentially targets non-parenchymal cells, showed superior antifibrotic efficacy compared with EN15. These findings highlight Stat1 as a key driver of steatohepatitis and fibrosis and support passive siRNA delivery, particularly via EN76, as a promising therapeutic strategy.