Mainstream cigarette smoke accelerates the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis by modulating Kupffer cell-mediated hepatocellular apoptosis in adolescent mice

•Mainstream cigarette smoke accelerates the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.•Mainstream cigarette smoke activates Kupffer cells to release inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress.•Mainstream cigarette smoke induces hepatocellular apoptosis.

Cigarette smoking in adolescents is considered to be a major cause of preventable morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of mainstream cigarette smoke (MSCS) on the progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in adolescents. Three-week-old C57BL/6 mice were fed either a methionine and choline-deficient plus high fat (MCDHF) diet for 6 weeks. Each group was exposed to MSCS (300, 600 ug/L) or fresh air for 2 h per day during the first 3 weeks of MCDHF diet feeding. MSCS increased MCDHF diet-induced NASH by increasing serum ALT/AST levels, steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. Furthermore, MSCS was associated with the degree of oxidative stress and hepatocellular apoptosis in NASH mice, but not prominent in controls. In vitro, cigarette smoke extract (CSE) activated Kupffer cells (KCs) to release inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress, which induced hepatocellular apoptosis. In conclusion, MSCS exposure accelerates the progression and severity of NASH by modulating KC-mediated hepatocellular apoptosis. Our results support the regulation of CS in adolescents with steatohepatitis.