Rubimaillin ameliorates liver fibrosis by triggering the ferroptosis of activated hepatic stellate cells through targeting CPT1A.

ABSTRACT: Liver fibrosis is defined as the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins in the liver due to chronic liver injury. Targeted ferroptosis of activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is considered a promising therapeutic strategy for liver fibrosis. Rubimaillin (Rub), a naphthoquinone compound extracted from traditional Chinese medicine Rubia cordifolia L., exhibits various activities in multiple diseases. This study aimed to investigate the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect, the direct protein target, and molecular mechanism of Rub. Here, our results demonstrated that Rub effectively ameliorated liver fibrosis via triggering the ferroptosis of activated HSCs in mice models. Subsequently, we confirmed that Rub directly binds to carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A)

SUBMITTER: Zhang D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12905648 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature