Highly Selective Artificial K Transporters Reverse Liver Fibrosis In Vivo.

Liver fibrosis is a life-threatening disease that currently lacks clinically effective therapeutic agents. Given the close correlation between dysregulated intracellular K homeostasis and the progression of liver fibrosis, developing artificial K transporters mimicking the essential function of their natural counterparts in regulating intracellular K levels might offer an appealing yet unexplored treatment strategy. Here, we present an unconventional class of artificial K transporters involving the "motional" collaboration between two K transporter molecules. In particular, exhibits an impressive EC value of 0.28 μM (i.e., 0.28 mol % relative to lipid) toward K and an exceptionally high K/Na selectivity of 15.5, representing one of the most selective artificial K transporters reported to date. Most importantly, our study demonstrates, for the first time, the potential therapeutic effect of K-selective artificial ion transporters in reversing liver fibrosis both and .