Qiju Dihuang Pill protects the lens epithelial cells via alleviating cuproptosis in diabetic cataract

Ethnopharmacological relevance

Qiju Dihuang Pill (QDP) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription for the treatment of eye diseases. Novel literature reports that copper-induced cell death, called as cuproptosis, is a copper-dependent and differs distinctly from other types of cell death.

Aim of the study

The present study aims to investigate whether QDP could protect lens epithelial cells via alleviating copper-induced death in diabetic cataract.

Materials and methods

The different concentration of QDP medicated serum was administrated on high glucose (HG)-induced human lens epithelial cells (HLECs). The copper concentration was tested using Elabscience Copper Assay kit. The proliferation was detected using CCK-8 and EdU assays. The molecular binding was identified using RIP-PCR and luciferase reporter assay.

Results

Results indicated that HG culture condition triggered the copper concentration and repressed the proliferation of HLECs. Then, the elesclomol-Cu (Es–Cu) administration up-regulated the copper concentration and inhibited the proliferation, and cuproptosis inhibitor tetrathiomolybdate (TTM) could specifically reverse the consequence. QDP treatment reduced the copper concentration and cuproptosis-related genes (SLC31A1, FDX1). MeRIP-Seq and RIP-PCR confirmed that QDP reduced the stability of SLC31A1 mRNA through m⁶A modified site, and copper actually synergized the molecular binding efficiency. Rescue assay verified the role of QDP and SLC31A1 on HLECs’ cuproptosis characteristic.

Conclusion

This research identified the protective role of QDP on HG-induced HLECs in DC through decreasing m⁶A/SLC31A1-mediated cuproptosis in DC. This finding provides novel insights into mechanisms for QDP and sheds light on the multifaceted role of traditional prescription on DC.