NRF2 Activation Inhibits Both TGF-β1- and IL-13-Mediated Periostin Expression in Fibroblasts: Benefit of Cinnamaldehyde for Antifibrotic Treatment

Systemic fibrosing or sclerotic disorders are life-threatening, but only very limited treatment modalities are available for them. In recent years, periostin (POSTN), a major extracellular matrix component, was established by several studies as a novel key player in the progression of systemic fibrotic disease. In this research, we revealed the involvement of oxidative stress in the expression of POSTN induced by TGF-β1 and IL-13 in dermal fibroblasts. We found that the antioxidant cinnamaldehyde activated the NRF2/HMOX1 pathway. Cinnamaldehyde also alleviated TGF-β1- and IL-13-mediated production of reactive oxygen species and subsequent POSTN upregulation in dermal fibroblasts. In contrast, NRF2 silencing abolished the cinnamaldehyde-mediated downregulation of POSTN. These results suggest that cinnamaldehyde is a broad inhibitor of POSTN expression covering both TGF-β1 and IL-13 signaling. Cinnamaldehyde may thus be beneficial for the treatment of systemic fibrotic diseases.