In patients with
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (
NAFLD),
insulin resistance (IR) associates with
fibrosis progression independently of the hepatic
inflammation, but the mechanisms are still unclear. We modeled the independent contribution of
inflammation (non-
alcoholic steatohepatitis: NASH) by exploiting the
methionine-
choline deficient (MCD) diet, and that of IR by
insulin receptor (InsR) haploinsufficiency (InsR+/-) in the pathogenesis of
liver fibrosis in C57BL/6 mice. We confirmed the study findings in 96 patients with
NAFLD. InsR+/- enhanced hepatic fat content and impaired hepatic
insulin signaling leading to
Forkhead box protein O1 (FoxO1) accumulation in MCD-fed mice. Remarkably, despite reduced
inflammation and hampered transdifferentiation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), InsR+/- promoted hepatic
fibrosis accumulation, which correlated with the induction of the
Lysyl Oxidase Like 2 (Loxl2), involved in matrix stabilization. Loxl2 up-regulation was not a cell autonomous property of
insulin resistant HSCs, but was dependent on microparticles (MPs) released specifically by
insulin resistant hepatocytes (HEPs) exposed to
fatty acids. The mechanism entailed FoxO1 up-regulation, as FoxO1 silencing normalized Loxl2 expression reversing
fibrosis in InsR+/- MCD-fed mice. Loxl2 up-regulation was similarly detected during IR induced by
obesity, but not by lipogenic stimuli (
fructose feeding). Most importantly, LOXL2 up-regulation was observed in
NAFLD patients with
type 2 diabetes (T2D) and LOXL2 hepatic and circulating levels correlated with histological
fibrosis progression. IR favors
fibrosis deposition independently of the classic '
inflammation - HSC transdifferentiation' pathway. The mechanism entails a cross-talk between enhanced lipotoxicity in
insulin resistant HEPs and Loxl2 production by HSCs, which was confirmed in patients with diabetes, thereby facilitating extracellular matrix (ECM) stabilization.