Pharmacological Inhibition of N-Acylethanolamine Acid Amidase (NAAA) Mitigates Intestinal Fibrosis Through Modulation of Macrophage Activity

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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Intestinal fibrosis, a frequent complication of inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by stricture formation with no pharmacological treatment to date. N-acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA) is responsible for the hydrolysis of acylethanolamides (AEs, eg, palmitoylethanolamide and oleoylethanolamide). Here, we investigated NAAA and AE signaling in gut fibrosis. METHODS: NAAA and AE signaling were evaluated in human intestinal specimens from patients with stenotic Crohn's disease (CD). Gut fibrosis was induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid, monitored by colonoscopy, and assessed by qRT-PCR, histological analyses, and confocal microscopy. Immune cells in mesenteric lymph nodes were analyzed by FACS. Colonic fibroblasts were cultured in conditioned media derived from polarized or non-polarized bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). IL-23 signaling was evaluated by qRT-PCR, ELISA, FACS, and western blot in BMDMs and in lamina propria CX3CR1+ cells. RESULTS: In ileocolonic human CD strictures, increased transcript expression of NAAA was observed with a decrease in its substrates oleoylethanolamide and palmitoylethanolamide. NAAA inhibition reduced intestinal fibrosis in vivo, as indicated by a decrease in inflammatory parameters, collagen deposition, and fibrosis-related genes, including those involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. More in-depth studies revealed modulation of the immune response related to IL-23 following NAAA inhibition. The antifibrotic actions of NAAA inhibition are mediated by Mφ and M2 macrophages that indirectly affect fibroblast collagenogenesis. NAAA inhibitor AM9053 normalized IL-23 signaling in BMDMs and in lamina propria CX3CR1+ cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide new insights into the pathophysiological mechanism of intestinal fibrosis and identify NAAA as a promising target for the development of therapeutic treatments to alleviate CD-related fibrosis.

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