Dehydrocavidine alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute liver injury by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway to inhibit hepatocyte ferroptosis.

BACKGROUND

Sepsis-induced acute liver injury (SALI) remains a major challenge with limited effective treatments. Although Corydalis saxicola Bunting (CSB) exhibits anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective properties, its role in SALI remains poorly understood.

PURPOSE: To identify the active components and molecular mechanisms of CSB in protecting against SALI.

METHODS

In vivo LPS-induced rat liver injury and in vitro cytokine-induced HepG2 injury models were established, treated with CSB extract or dehydrocavidine (DC). A series of advanced techniques including ferroptosis PCR array, super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq), cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), molecular dynamics simulation, and site-directed mutation were employed to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

RESULTS

DC significantly mitigated LPS-induced liver injury, microcirculatory disorder, and leukocyte adhesion. It also alleviated liver ferroptosis under LPS challenge. In vitro studies revealed that LPS-activated macrophages secreted tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ), which triggered hepatocyte ferroptosis. DC countered this process by inhibiting the production of these cytokines and correcting cytokine-induced mitochondrial abnormalities in hepatocytes. Mechanistically, DC bound to Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) at arginine 415 (R415), disrupting the formation of the Keap1/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) complex. This enabled Nrf2 nuclear translocation and promoted antioxidant gene expression, thereby correcting LPS-induced redox imbalance in hepatocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to inhibiting LPS-induced macrophage activation, DC activates the Nrf2 signaling pathway in hepatocytes to alleviate inflammation-enhanced liver ferroptosis. It provides potential therapeutic strategies for sepsis and Gram-negative bacteria-associated liver injury.