Deficiency of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) aggravates inflammation and fibrosis in experimental non alcoholic steatohepatitis but protects against bile duct ligation induc…

Background: Non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) leads to liver fibrosis characterized by activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) and collagen expression. In vitro, we were able to show that PI3K participates in HSC proliferation and collagen expression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of PI3K in the development of experimental NASH and biliary fibrosis. Methods: Female PI3K knockout mice (PI3K–/–, on a C57Bl/6 background) and C57Bl/6 wild-type control mice (WT) were allocated to 4 experimental groups (n=6) receiving either standard chow (SC) or a high fat (HF) diet (17% fat, supplemented with…