Lithospermic acid improves liver fibrosis through Piezo1-mediated oxidative stress and inflammation

Abstract

Background: Hepatic fibrosis is becoming an increasingly serious public health issue worldwide. Although liver transplantation is the only and definitive treatment for end-stage liver fibrosis, traditional Chinese medicine offers certain benefits in the treatment of advanced hepatic fibrosis.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the protective effect of lithospermic acid (LA), an extraction from Salvia miltiorrhiza (the roots of S. miltiorrhiza Bunge, known as Danshen in Chinese), on liver fibrosis and investigate its potential mechanisms.

Methods and results: Mice were treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) via intraperitoneal injection for 4 weeks. LA was orally administered or colchicine (COL) was injected intraperitoneally for 3 weeks starting one week after the initial CCl₄ injection. After the LA treatment, we observed a decrease in the fibrosis index and an improvement in liver function. Molecular docking results revealed that Piezo1 may be a potential pharmacological target of LA. The further experimental results showed that LA inhibited Piezo1 activation and expression in macrophages. Mechanistically, both Piezo1/Notch-mediated inflammation and oxidative stress regulated by the Piezo1/Ca²⁺ pathway were alleviated in fibrotic livers following LA treatment. Moreover, less oxidative stress and Notch activation were observed in the deficiency of macrophage Piezo1 (Piezo1^ΔLysM) mice. In addition, Piezo1^ΔLysM partially counteracted the pharmacological effects of LA on liver fibrosis.

Conclusion: In conclusion, our present study corroborated LA limits the progression of liver fibrosis by regulating Piezo1-mediated oxidative stress and inflammation. These results indicate that LA could be a potential medication for hepatic fibrosis treatment.

Keywords: Inflammation; Lithospermic acid; Liver fibrosis; Macrophages; Oxidative stress; Piezo1.