TFEB-NF-κB inflammatory signaling axis: a novel therapeutic pathway of Dihydrotanshinone I in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity

Background Doxorubicin is effective in a variety of solid and hematological malignancies. Unfortunately, clinical application of doxorubicin is limited due to a cumulative dose-dependent cardiotoxicity. Dihydrotanshinone I (DHT) is a natural product from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge with multiple anti-tumor activity and anti-inflammation effects. However, its anti-doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) effect, either in vivo or in vitro, has not been elucidated yet. This study aims to explore the anti-inflammation effects of DHT against DIC, and to elucidate the potential regulatory mechanism. Methods Effects of DHT on DIC were assessed in zebrafish, C57BL/6 mice and H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Echocardiography, histological examination, flow cytometry, immunochemistry and immunofluorescence were utilized to evaluate cardio-protective effects and anti-inflammation effects. mTOR agonist and lentivirus vector carrying GFP-TFEB were applied to explore the regulatory signaling pathway. Results DHT improved cardiac function via inhibiting the activation of M1 macrophages and the excessive release of pro-inflammatory cytokines both in vivo and in vitro. The activation and nuclear localization of NF-kappa B were suppressed by DHT, and the effect was abolished by mTOR agonist with concomitant reduced expression of nuclear TFEB. Furthermore, reduced expression of nuclear TFEB is accompanied by up-regulated phosphorylation of IKK alpha/beta and NF-kappa B, while TFEB overexpression reversed these changes. Intriguingly, DHT could upregulate nuclear expression of TFEB and reduce expressions of p-IKK alpha/beta and p-NF-kappa B. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that DHT can be applied as a novel cardioprotective compound in the anti-inflammation management of DIC via mTOR-TFEB-NF-kappa B signaling pathway. The current study implicates TFEB-IKK-NF-kappa B signaling axis as a previously undescribed, druggable pathway for DIC.