Andrographolide inhibits corneal fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation in vitro. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Andrographolide Inhibits Corneal Fibroblast to Myofibroblast DifferentiationIn Vitro.
Biomolecules. 2022 10 9 ;12(10). Epub 2022 Oct 9. PMID: 36291655
Vanessa Rozo
Corneal opacification due to fibrosis is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Fibrosis occurs from many causes including trauma, photorefractive surgery, microbial keratitis (infection of the cornea), and chemical burns, yet there is a paucity of therapeutics to prevent or treat corneal fibrosis. This study aimed to determine if andrographolide, a labdane diterpenoid found inAndrographis paniculate, has anti-fibrotic properties. Furthermore, we evaluated if andrographolide could prevent the differentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblastsin vitro, given that the transforming growth factor beta-1(TGF-β1) stimulated persistence of myofibroblasts in the cornea is a primary component of fibrosis. We demonstrated that andrographolide inhibited the upregulation of alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA) mRNA and protein in rabbit corneal fibroblasts (RCFs), thus, demonstrating a reduction in the transdifferentiation of myofibroblasts. Immunofluorescent staining of TGF-β1-stimulated RCFs confirmed a dose-dependent decrease in αSMA expression when treated with andrographolide. Additionally, andrographolide was well toleratedin vivoand had no impact on corneal epithelialization in a rat debridement model. These data support future studies investigating the use of andrographolide as an anti-fibrotic in corneal wound healing.