Boldine prevents the inflammatory response of cardiac fibroblasts induced by SGK1-NFκB signaling pathway activation

Cardiac fibroblasts (CF) are mesenchymal-type cells responsible for maintaining the homeostasis of the heart's extracellular matrix (ECM). Their dysfunction leads to excessive secretion of ECM proteins, tissue stiffening, impaired nutrient and oxygen exchange, and electrical abnormalities in the heart. Additionally, CF act as sentinel cells in the cardiac tissue microenvironment, responding to various stimuli that may affect heart function. Deleterious stimuli induce an inflammatory response in CF, increasing the secretion of cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF-α and the expression of cell adhesion molecules like ICAM1 and VCAM1, initially promoting damage resolution by recruiting immune cells. However, constant harmful stimuli lead to a chronic inflammatory process and heart dysfunction. Therefore, it is necessary to study the mechanisms that govern CF inflammation. NFκB is a key regulator of the cardiac inflammatory process, making the search for mechanisms of NFκB regulation and CF inflammatory response crucial for developing new treatment options for cardiovascular diseases. SGK1, a serine-threonine protein kinase, is one of the regulators of NFκB and is involved in the fibrotic effects of angiotensin II and aldosterone, as well as in CF differentiation. However, its role in the CF inflammatory response is unknown. On the other hand, many bioactive natural products have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects, but their role in CF inflammation is unknown. One such molecule is boldine, an alkaloid obtained from Boldo (Peumus boldus), a Chilean endemic tree with proven cytoprotective effects. However, its involvement in the regulation of SGK1 and CF inflammation is unknown. In this study, we evaluated the role of SGK1 and boldine in the inflammatory response in CF isolated from neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats. The involvement of SGK1 was analyzed using GSK650394, a specific SGK1 inhibitor. Our results demonstrate that SGK1 is crucial for LPS- and IFN-γ-induced inflammatory responses in CF (cytokine expression, cell adhesion molecule expression, and leukocyte adhesion). Furthermore, a conditioned medium (intracellular content of CF subject to freeze/thaw cycles) was used to simulate a sterile inflammation condition. The conditioned medium induced a potent inflammatory response in CF, which was completely prevented by the SGK1 inhibitor. Finally, our results indicate that boldine inhibits both SGK1 activation and the CF inflammatory response induced by LPS, IFN-γ, and CF-conditioned medium. Taken together, our results position SGK1 as an important regulator of the CF inflammatory response and boldine as a promising anti-inflammatory drug in the context of cardiovascular diseases.