Natural Polyphenol-Mediated Inhibition of Ferroptosis Alleviates Oxidative Damage and Inflammation in Acute Liver Injury.

Abstract

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose has long been recognized as the main cause of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), characterized by glutathione (GSH) depletion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, leading to ferroptosis and inflammatory responses. There is an urgent need for liver-protective agents to combat ferroptosis, modulate oxidative stress, and ameliorate inflammation. Catechin, a well-known polyphenol compound, has been shown to have antioxidant potential. However, its protective role on APAP-induced liver injury (AILI) has not been elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the modulating effects of catechin on AILI and observed that catechin attenuated liver injury by reducing inflammation. Mechanistically, catechin alleviated hepatic oxidative stress by inhibiting ROS accumulation, malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and GSH depletion. Furthermore, catechin, as a hepatic injury reparative agent, could counteract APAP-induced hepatocyte ferroptosis by activating the xCT/GPX4 pathway, and is expected to be a novel natural inhibitor of ferroptosis. Additionally, the transcriptomic results indicated that the inhibition of Stat1 by catechin is important for the management of AILI. Inhibition of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) expression, achieved through the use of the STAT1 inhibitor fludarabine in vivo and small interfering RNA (siRNA) in vitro, was confirmed to attenuate APAP-induced ferroptosis. In conclusion, the present study identified a novel natural drug inhibitor of ferroptosis and revealed its mechanism of action to inhibit ferroptosis, regulate oxidative stress, and ameliorate inflammation in AILI. This further provides new insights into the novel natural ferroptosis inhibitors for the treatment of ROS-related inflammatory diseases.