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Roh JS, Jeong H, Lee B, Song BW, Han SJ, Sohn DH, Lee SG. Mirodenafil ameliorates skin fibrosis in bleomycin-induced mouse model of systemic sclerosis. Anim Cells Syst (Seoul) 2021; 25:387-395. [PMID: 35059138 PMCID: PMC8765282 DOI: 10.1080/19768354.2021.1995486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and internal organs. Despite the recent advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of SSc, effective therapies for fibrosis caused by SSc have not yet been established. In this study, we investigated the potential role of mirodenafil, a potent phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor, in the treatment of fibrosis in SSc. We used a bleomycin (BLM)-induced SSc mouse model to mimic the typical features of fibrosis in human SSc and examined the dermal thickness to assess the degree of skin fibrosis after staining with hematoxylin and eosin or Masson’s trichrome stains. The effect of mirodenafil on the expression of profibrotic genes was also analyzed by treating fibroblasts with transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and mirodenafil. We showed that mirodenafil ameliorated dermal fibrosis and downregulated the protein levels of fibrosis markers including COL1A1 and α-SMA in the BLM-induced SSc mouse model. Further, using mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human lung fibroblasts, we demonstrated that the expression of collagen and profibrotic genes was reduced by treatment with mirodenafil. Finally, we showed that mirodenafil inhibited TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of Smad2/3 in fibroblasts, which suggested that this drug may ameliorate fibrosis by suppressing the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway. Our findings suggest that mirodenafil possesses a therapeutic potential for treating fibrosis in SSc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jong Seong Roh
- Department of Herbal Prescription, College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hoim Jeong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Beomgu Lee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Byung Wook Song
- Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Jin Han
- Department of Biotechnology, Inje University, Gimhae, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Digital Anti-Aging Healthcare, Inje University, Gimhae, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Hyun Sohn
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Geun Lee
- Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea
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