Paeoniflorin promotes PPARγ expression to suppress HSCs activation by inhibiting EZH2-mediated histone H3K27 trimethylation.

Background: The alleviating effect of paeoniflorin (Pae) on liver fibrosis has been established; however, the molecular mechanism and specific target(s) underlying this effect remain elusive.

Purpose: This study was to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the regulatory effect of Pae on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation in liver fibrosis, with a specific focus on the role of Pae in modulating histone methylation modifications.

Methods: The therapeutic effect of Pae was evaluated by establishing in vivo and in vitro models of carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced mice and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)-induced LX-2 cells, respectively. Molecular docking, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative real time PCR (ChIP-qPCR) and other molecular biological methods were used to clarify the molecular mechanism of Pae regulating HSCs activation.

Results: Our study found that Pae inhibited HSCs activation and histone trimethylation modification in liver of CCl-induced mice and LX-2 cells. We demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of Pae on the activation of HSCs was dependent on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) expression and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). Mechanistically, Pae directly binded to EZH2 to effectively suppress its enzymatic activity. This attenuation leaded to the suppression of histone H3K27 trimethylation in the PPARγ promoter region, which induced upregulation of PPARγ expression.

Conclusion: This investigative not only sheds new light on the precise targets that underlie the remission of hepatic fibrogenesis induced by Pae but also emphasizes the critical significance of EZH2-mediated H3K27 trimethylation in driving the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis.