Spatial transcriptomics reveals the transcriptomic signatures in a mouse model of pediatric metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is considered the progressive form of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children. However, the pathogenesis of pediatric MASH remains poorly understood due to the lack of animal models. In this study, we developed a mouse model of pediatric MASH and characterized the hepatic transcriptomic profile using spatial transcriptomics (ST) technology. C57BL/6J mice were fed a western diet (WD) along with weekly injections of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) from 3 weeks old to 8 weeks old. After 5 weeks of feeding, WD+CCl4-treated mice showed significant liver injury without the development of insulin resistance. Histologically, WD+CCl4 induced key features of type 2 MASH, the most common type observed in children, characterized by liver steatosis, portal inflammation, and portal fibrosis. Through ST analysis of liver tissues, we identified that cluster 0 in the mouse from the WD+CCl4 group was enriched in pathways associated with lipid metabolism. Further investigation revealed that cytochrome p450 2E1 (CYP2E1) was the top marker gene of cluster 0, and its expression was increased in the periportal area of mice from the WD+CCl4 group. These findings suggest that our mouse model of pediatric MASH mirrors the histological features of human MASH, and the upregulation of CYP2E1 may be linked to the disease pathogenesis.