School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China.
State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China.
Chin J Nat Med. 2024 Jan;22(1):31-46. doi: 10.1016/S1875-5364(24)60560-1.
Liver fibrosis is a dynamic wound-healing response characterized by the agglutination of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Si-Wu-Tang (SWT), a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is known for treating gynecological diseases and liver fibrosis. Our previous studies demonstrated that long non-coding RNA H19 (H19) was markedly upregulated in fibrotic livers while its deficiency markedly reversed fibrogenesis. However, the mechanisms by which SWT influences H19 remain unclear. Thus, we established a bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced liver fibrosis model to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of SWT on various cells in the liver. Our results showed that SWT markedly improved ECM deposition and bile duct reactions in the liver. Notably, SWT relieved liver fibrosis by regulating the transcription of genes involved in the cytoskeleton remodeling, primarily in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and influencing cytoskeleton-related angiogenesis and hepatocellular injury. This modulation collectively led to reduced ECM deposition. Through extensive bioinformatics analyses, we determined that H19 acted as a miRNA sponge and mainly inhibited miR-200, miR-211, and let7b, thereby regulating the above cellular regulatory pathways. Meanwhile, SWT reversed H19-related miRNAs and signaling pathways, diminishing ECM deposition and liver fibrosis. However, these protective effects of SWT were diminished with the overexpression of H19 in vivo. In conclusion, our study elucidates the underlying mechanisms of SWT from the perspective of H19-related signal networks and proposes a potential SWT-based therapeutic strategy for the treatment of liver fibrosis.
肝纤维化是一种以细胞外基质(ECM)聚集为特征的动态伤口愈合反应。四物汤(SWT)是一种中药(TCM)配方,以治疗妇科疾病和肝纤维化而闻名。我们之前的研究表明,长链非编码 RNA H19(H19)在纤维化肝脏中显著上调,而其缺乏则显著逆转肝纤维化。然而,SWT 影响 H19 的机制尚不清楚。因此,我们建立了胆管结扎(BDL)诱导的肝纤维化模型,以评估 SWT 对肝脏中各种细胞的保肝作用。我们的结果表明,SWT 显著改善了 ECM 在肝脏中的沉积和胆管反应。值得注意的是,SWT 通过调节与细胞骨架重塑相关的基因的转录来缓解肝纤维化,主要在肝星状细胞(HSCs)中,并影响与细胞骨架相关的血管生成和肝细胞损伤。这种调节共同导致 ECM 沉积减少。通过广泛的生物信息学分析,我们确定 H19 作为 miRNA 海绵,主要抑制 miR-200、miR-211 和 let7b,从而调节上述细胞调节途径。同时,SWT 逆转了与 H19 相关的 miRNAs 和信号通路,减少了 ECM 的沉积和肝纤维化。然而,在体内过表达 H19 后,SWT 的这些保护作用减弱。总之,我们的研究从 H19 相关信号网络的角度阐明了 SWT 的潜在机制,并提出了一种基于 SWT 的治疗肝纤维化的潜在治疗策略。