Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41997233›Full record

ArticleJHEP reports : innovation in hepatology2026

Loss of hepatocyte PI3Kα reduces hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatocyte proliferation in association with altered lipid metabolism.

Barbara Becattini, Claudia Sardi, Bart Edelbroek, Amit Chand Gupta, Toshima Parris, Khalil Helou, Giovanni Solinas

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Article in JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Barbara BecattiniThe Wallenberg Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: barbara.becattini@wlab.gu.se.
Claudia SardiThe Wallenberg Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bart EdelbroekThe Bioinformatics and Data Centre, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Amit Chand GuptaThe Wallenberg Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Toshima ParrisDepartment of Oncology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Khalil HelouDepartment of Oncology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Giovanni SolinasThe Wallenberg Laboratory, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: giovanni.solinas@wlab.gu.se.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND &

aimsHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a disease with an increasing incidence and a high mortality rate. Thus, targeted therapies for HCC are urgently needed. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT-mTORC1 signaling is frequently induced in solid tumors and is associated with tumor progression and with the most aggressive type of HCC. However, complete inhibition of all PI3K isoforms is unlikely to achieve a favorable therapeutic index for HCC treatment because of on-target side effects. In this study, we determined the role of hepatocyte PI3Kα activity in HCC.

methodsWe investigated the role of hepatocyte PI3Kα in HCC using conditional knockout mice in the N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN) plus high-fat diet (HFD) model of HCC.

resultsMice lacking PI3Kα in hepatocytes were protected from DEN-induced HCC (n = 8-17, p <0.005). PI3Kα in hepatocytes was dispensable for AKT phosphorylation in HCC and normal liver (n = 4). It was also dispensable for AKT phosphorylation in hepatocytes during compensatory proliferation following acute administration of the hepatocarcinogen (n = 3-4). AKT phosphorylation induced by hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) was mediated by redundant PI3Kα and PI3Kβ activities (n = 3-4). Nonetheless, mice lacking hepatocyte PI3Kα showed reduced HCC proliferation and reduced hepatocyte proliferation acutely induced by DEN and by HGF and EGF (n = 3, p <0.05). This phenotype was associated with a gene expression signature indicating altered lipid metabolism and reduced formation of lipid droplets (n = 7).

conclusionsTogether, these results indicate PI3Kα as a promising target for the treatment of HCC. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: Class-1 PI3Ks are frequently activated in tumors, but complete inhibition of PI3K signaling is associated with liver damage and HCC. We showed that selective ablation of the PI3Kα isoform in hepatocytes drastically reduced HCC development in mice injected with a hepatocarcinogen. This phenotype was associated with reduced hepatocyte proliferation and a gene expression signature indicative of altered lipid metabolism and reduced lipid droplet formation. Overall, our results indicate PI3Kα as a promising drug target for the treatment of HCC.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularHepatocytesLipid MetabolismLiver NeoplasmsPhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesAnimalsCell ProliferationDiet, High-FatDiethylnitrosamineMaleMiceMice, KnockoutProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktSignal TransductionDiethylnitrosaminePhosphatidylinositol 3-KinasesProto-Oncogene Proteins c-aktCancerGrowth factorsMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver diseaseMetabolic syndromeObesityPhosphoinositide 3 kinase

Identifiers

PMID41997233
PMCPMC13310634

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.