Abstract
Airway remodelling in lung diseases can be treated by inhibiting excessive smooth muscle cell proliferation. Zedoarondiol (Zed) is a natural compound isolated from the Chinese herb Curcuma longa. The caveolin-1 (CAV-1) is widely expressed in lung cells and plays a key role in platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signalling and cell proliferation. This study aims to investigate the effect of Zed on human bronchial smooth muscle cell (HBSMC) proliferation and explore its potential molecular mechanisms. We assessed the effect of Zed on the proliferation of PDGF-stimulated HBSMCs and performed proteomic analysis to identify potential molecular targets and pathways. CAV1 siRNA was used to validate our findings in vitro. In PDGF-stimulated HBSMCs, Zed significantly inhibited excessive proliferation of HBSMCs. Proteomic analysis of zedoarondiol-treated HBSMCs revealed significant enrichment of differentially expressed proteins in cell proliferation-related pathways and biological processes. Zed inhibition of HBSMC proliferation was associated with upregulation of CAV1, regulation of the CAV-1/PDGF pathway and inhibition of MAPK and PI3K/AKT signalling pathway activation. Treatment of HBSMCs with CAV1 siRNA partly reversed the inhibitory effect of Zed on HBSMC proliferation. Thus, this study reveals that zedoarondiol potently inhibits HBSMC proliferation by upregulating CAV-1 expression, highlighting its potential value in airway remodelling and related diseases.