Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha regulates autophagy to activate hepatic stellate cells

• Autophagy occurred in liver injury such as Schistosoma japonicum infection.
• Hypoxia and LPS induced Hif-1α expression, autophagy and activation of HSC.
• Targeting Hif-1α affected autophagy of hepatic stellate cells.
• Targeting autophagy affected activation of hepatic stellate cell.
• Hif-1α regulated activation of hepatic stellate cell by modulating autophagy.

The role of autophagy in Hif-1α modulated activation of hepatic stellate cells was illustrated in current work. Autophagy markers were determined in livers of Schistosoma japonicum infected mice and hypoxia or LPS treated human hepatic stellate cell, LX-2 cells. The action of Hif-1 to autophagy was defined as increase of autophagy markers was significantly suppressed in Hif-1α siRNA transfected cells upon hypoxia or LPS stimulation. The function of autophagy in activation of LX-2 cells was assessed as increase of activation markers was blocked using autophagy inhibitors under hypoxia and LPS stimulation. Conclusively, Hif-1α regulates activation of hepatic stellate cell by modulating autophagy.