Differential expression of PPARalpha, STAT1 and STAT3 in TAA/EtOH-induced liver fibrosis in cannabinoid recepetor 1 knockout mice

Aims: CB1 and CB2 are the main receptor for endocannabinoids. An upregulation has been described during chronic liver diseases and a pro-fibrogenic role was shown for CB1. We here applied the TAA/EtOH model of fibrosis induction to determine the underlying signaling pathways in CB1-related fibrosis development. Methods: CB1 knockout mice and C57/B6 wildtype (WT) littermates were treated for 18 weeks with intraperitoneal injections (3x/week) of 0.15mg/kg thioacetamide (TAA) and continuously received 10% ethanol in sweetened drinking water. Animals were sacrificed after 6, 12 and 18 weeks and liver samples were ob…