Journal Article

Rhein, a novel Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor with antifibrotic potency in human myocardial fibrosis

Herzfeld de Wiza, Daniella, Lehr, Stefan, Kotzka, Jorg, Al-Hasani, Hadi, Fahlbusch, Pia, Hartwig, Sonja, Barbosa, David Monteiro, Krüger, Martina, Knebel, Birgit, Ouwens, D. Margriet, Jacob, Sylvia, Kettel, Ulrike

2020

Overview

Although fibrosis depicts a reparative mechanism, maladaptation of the heart due to excessive production of extracellular matrix accelerates cardiac dysfunction. The anthraquinone Rhein was examined for its anti-fibrotic potency to mitigate cardiac fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition (FMT). Primary human ventricular cardiac fibroblasts were subjected to hypoxia and characterized with proteomics, transcriptomics and cell functional techniques. Knowledge based analyses of the omics data revealed a modulation of fibrosis-associated pathways and cell cycle due to Rhein administration during hypoxia, whereas p53 and p21 were identified as upstream regulators involved in the manifestation of cardiac fibroblast phenotypes. Mechanistically, Rhein acts inhibitory on HDAC classes I/II as enzymatic inhibitor. Rhein-mediated cellular effects were linked to the histone deacetylase (HDAC)-dependent protein stabilization of p53 under normoxic but not hypoxic conditions. Functionally, Rhein inhibited collagen contraction, indicating anti-fibrotic property in cardiac remodeling. This was accompanied by increased abundance of SMAD7, but not SMAD2/3, and consistently SMAD-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase SMURF2. In conclusion, this study identifies Rhein as a novel potent direct HDAC inhibitor that may contribute to the treatment of cardiac fibrosis as anti-fibrotic agent. As readily available drug with approved safety, Rhein constitutes a promising potential therapeutic approach in the supplemental and protective intervention of cardiac fibrosis.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: 13/106 / 13/95 / 38/61 / 692/4017 / 692/4019 / 82/58 / Adult / Anthraquinone / Anthraquinones - pharmacology / Blotting, Western / Cardiomyopathies - genetics / Cardiomyopathies - metabolism / Cell cycle / Collagen / Contraction / Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 - genetics / Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p21 - metabolism / Extracellular matrix / Female / Fibroblasts / Fibroblasts - drug effects / Fibroblasts - metabolism / Fibrosis / Histone deacetylase / Histone Deacetylase 1 - antagonists & inhibitors / Histone Deacetylase 2 - antagonists & inhibitors / Humanities and Social Sciences / Humans / Hypoxia / Male / Middle Aged / multidisciplinary / p53 Protein / Phenotypes / Proteomics / Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Smad protein / Smad2 protein / Smad2 Protein - genetics / Smad2 Protein - metabolism / Smad3 Protein - genetics / Smad3 Protein - metabolism / Smad7 protein / Smad7 Protein - genetics / Smad7 Protein - metabolism / Transcriptome - genetics / Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - genetics / Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - metabolism / Ubiquitin / Ubiquitin-protein ligase / Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases - genetics / Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases - metabolism / Ventricle