Administration of human macrophage colony-stimulating factor-mFc fusion protein increases macrophage phagocytic capacity and stimulates liver regeneration in mice.

Authors

Philip J Starkey Lewis, Jennifer A Cartwright, Lara Campana, Birgit U Baumgarten, Hilmar Ebersbach, Marie-Gabrielle Ludwig, Gregory Marszalek, Benjamin Stutchfield, Rhona Aird, Tak-Yung Man, Eoghan O'Duibhir, Klaus Seuwen, Stuart J Forbes

Published in

Journal of inflammation (London, England). Jun 25, 2026. Epub Jun 25, 2026.

Abstract

Acute and chronic liver diseases are rising contributors of the worldwide healthcare burden. Inflammation plays a key role in progression of both acute and chronic disease, and effective treatments are limited. Macrophages, a diverse population of professional phagocytes, are required for the timely resolution of tissue injury and are an emerging target to treat acute and chronic liver disease. Colony stimulating factor 1 (CSF1), promotes differentiation and survival of macrophages, which are essential in epithelial regeneration, but the CSF1 protein is rapidly eliminated in vivo. We therefore fused human CSF1 genetically to a modified mouse IgG2a Fc region and transiently expressed this in HEK293-6E cells. The protein was purified from culture supernatant to obtain > 97% monomeric purity, suitable for in vivo testing.
The nascent hCSF1-Fc fusion proteins were evaluated in vitro and in murine models of health and liver disease. hCSF1-mFc is pharmacologically active in healthy mice, resulting in increases in liver and spleen mass closely reflecting changes in tissue macrophage content. In an acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury model, hCSF1-mFc treatment increased hepatic macrophage accumulation at necrotic sites, reduced serum ALT activity, and serum IL-1β levels, and restored white blood cell counts within 72 h. Furthermore, hCSF1-mFc treatment also increased hepatic macrophage numbers in a carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-induced liver fibrosis model corresponding with a striking 3.5-fold increased uptake of a soluble phagocytic label, indicating improved hepatic clearance capacity. hCSF1-mFc was also tested in a model of acute on chronic liver injury, which included a bolus delivery of proinflammatory E. coli-coated bioparticles to pre-existing fibrosis. Here, hCSF1-mFc treatment restored body weight, induced hepatomegaly, and reduced several plasma pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting reduction of systemic inflammation. Finally, immunofluorescence staining showed hCSF1-mFc treatment induced significant hepatocyte proliferation in healthy and all liver disease models.
This report demonstrates that hCSF1-mFc treatment increases liver macrophage populations, improves phagocytic capacity, and stimulates hepatocyte proliferation in experimental liver disease models. hCSF1-based fusion protein therapy might represent a novel immune-based strategy to treat acute and chronic liver disease in the clinic.
Not applicable.

PMID:
42351116
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 26 Jun 2026.

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