Group IVA Phospholipase A in Collagen-Producing Cells Promotes High-Fat Diet-Induced Infiltration of Inflammatory Cells into the Liver by Upregulating the Expression of MCP-1.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is characterized by hepatic inflammation and fibrosis due to excessive fat accumulation. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a key chemokine that infiltrates inflammatory cells into the liver during the development of NASH. Our previous studies demonstrated that a systemic deficiency of group IVA phospholipase A (IVA-PLA), an enzyme that contributes to the production of lipid inflammatory mediators, protects mice against high-fat diet-induced hepatic fibrosis and markedly suppresses the CCl-induced expression of MCP-1 in the liver.