Corynoline protects chronic pancreatitis via binding to PSMA2 and alleviating pancreatic fibrosis.

Background: Pancreatic fibrosis is the main pathological feature of chronic pancreatitis. There is a lack of medications that effectively alleviate or reverse pancreatic fibrosis and thus cure chronic pancreatitis.

Methods: We screened drugs that could alleviate pancreatic fibrosis from 80 traditional Chinese medicine monomers and verified their efficacy and mechanisms.

Results: We preliminarily identified corynoline as an antifibrotic candidate by drug screening among 80 compounds. In vitro, corynoline dose-dependently reduces collagen I synthesis in pancreatic stellate cells induced by TGF-β1 and inhibits its activation. Furthermore, we found that corynoline could alleviate the morphological disruption, such as acinar cell atrophy, collagen deposition etc., as well as reduced pancreatic weight in mice with chronic pancreatitis. We further validated the antifibrotic effect of corynoline in mRNA and protein levels. We also found that corynoline could inhibit NF-κB signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. Next, we identified PSMA2 as the binding protein of corynoline by Lip-SMap and validated it using DARTS. Moreover, the siRNA of PSMA2 disrupts the anti-fibrotic effect of corynoline.

Conclusion: In conclusion, corynoline is a promising agent for the treatment of pancreatic fibrosis and chronic pancreatitis.