Selective PPARδ agonist seladelpar suppresses bile acid synthesis by reducing hepatocyte CYP7A1 via the fibroblast growth factor 21 signaling pathway

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) agonists have been shown to exert beneficial effects in liver disease and reduce total bile acid levels. The mechanism(s) whereby PPARδ agonism reduces bile acid levels are, however, unknown, and therefore the aim of the present study was to investigate the molecular pathways responsible for reducing bile acid synthesis in hepatocytes, following treatment with the selective PPARδ agonist, seladelpar. We show that administration of seladelpar to WT mice repressed the liver expression of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (Cyp7a1), the rate-limiting enzyme for bile acid synthesis, and decreased plasma 7α-hydroxy-4-cholesten-3-one (C4), a freely diffusible metabolite downstream of Cyp7a1. In primary mouse hepatocytes, seladelpar significantly reduced the expression of Cyp7a1 independent of the nuclear bile acid receptor, Farnesoid X receptor. In addition, seladelpar upregulated fibroblast growth factor 21 (Fgf21) in mouse liver, serum, and in cultured hepatocytes. We demonstrate that recombinant Fgf21 protein activated the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway and repressed Cyp7a1 gene expression in primary hepatocytes. The suppressive effect of seladelpar on Cyp7a1 expression was blocked by a JNK inhibitor as well as in the absence of Fgf21, indicating that Fgf21 plays an indispensable role in PPARδ-mediated downregulation of Cyp7a1. Finally, reduction of CYP7A1 expression by seladelpar was confirmed in primary human hepatocytes. In conclusion, we show that seladelpar reduces bile acid synthesis via an FGF21-dependent mechanism that signals at least partially through JNK to repress CYP7A1.