ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1577201
Albiflorin inhibits inflammation to improve liver fibrosis by targeting the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis in mice
Provisionally accepted
- Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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Liver fibrosis is a common pathological feature of chronic hepatic injury that currently lacks effective therapeutic interventions. Albiflorin (ALB), a pinane-type monoterpene derived from Paeonia lactiflora Pall, has notable anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects. However, the potential role of ALB against liver fibrosis is largely unknown. In this study, we discovered that ALB significantly inhibited CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis in mice. This was evidenced by improvements in liver and kidney function indexes, fibrosis indicators, and histopathological findings. In vitro studies also showed that ALB inhibited TGF-β1-induced LX-2 cell activation and reduced the expression of α-SMA and collagen I. Additionally, we found that ALB mitigates inflammation and ameliorates liver fibrosis by targeting the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis, as confirmed using the CXCR4 inhibitor AMD3100 in CCl 4 -treated mice. Notably, combining ALB with metformin (MET) enhanced the 2 inhibition of liver fibrosis progression. These findings highlight that ALB exerts anti-liver fibrosis effects by targeting the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis, underscoring its potential as a standalone treatment or as an adjuvant therapy.
Keywords: Albiflorin, CXCL12/CXCR4 axis, liver fibrosis, Inflammation, Combination therapeutic
Received: 15 Feb 2025; Accepted: 18 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Meng, Lv, Liu, Cao, Du, Li, Li, Luo and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yi Xiao, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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