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, which is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in children. However, the pathogenesis of pediatric MASH remains poorly understood because of the lack of animal models. In this study, a mouse model of pediatric MASH was developed and its hepatic transcriptomic profile was characterized using spatial transcriptomics technology. C57BL/6J mice were fed a Western diet (WD) along with weekly injections of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) from the age of 3 weeks and lasting up to 8 weeks. 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. Spatial transcriptomics analysis of liver tissues indicated 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 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 this mouse model of pediatric MASH mirrors the histologic features of human MASH, and the up-regulation of cytochrome p450 2E1 may be linked to the disease pathogenesis.