Evidence mapPaperPMID 40874697Full record

ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2025

Celastrol Activates SIRT1/PGC-1α/Nrf2 Axis to Inhibit Oxidative Damage for Subconjunctival Fibrosis Alleviation.

Zhihua Guo, Huayang Feng, Xue Sun, Liu Yang, Qingyun Ning, Yuting Deng, Zhanrong Li, Jingguo Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Frontiers in nutrition · 2026
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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Zhihua GuoHenan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China.
Huayang FengHenan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China.
Xue SunHenan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China.
Liu YangHenan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China.
Qingyun NingHenan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China.
Yuting DengHenan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China.
Zhanrong LiHenan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China.
Jingguo LiHenan Eye Hospital, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, PR China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Subconjunctival fibrosis can lead to symblepharon and recurrent pterygium, seriously threatening vision. Our previous research found that celastrol could inhibit subconjunctival fibrosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms of celastrol-nanomicelles (Cel) in inhibiting subconjunctival fibrosis. Methods: We established rat subconjunctival injury model in vivo and TGF-β1-activated human pterygium fibroblasts systems in vitro to study fibrotic pathogenesis. RNA-seq analysis was used to identify the targets of Cel. Immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses were performed to determine whether Cel modulates the SIRT1/PGC-1α/Nrf2 axis, thereby alleviating oxidative damage and subconjunctival fibrosis in vitro. The critical involvement of the SIRT1/PGC-1α/Nrf2 axis was definitively established through pharmacological inhibition using EX527, a selective SIRT1 antagonist. Moreover, the effects of Cel on subconjunctival fibrosis in vivo were further explored through histopathological assessments, Masson's trichrome staining, and immunofluorescence. Results: In vivo evaluation with a rat subconjunctival injury model showed that Cel effectively attenuated oxidative damage and subconjunctival fibrosis. The RNA-seq analysis indicated that SIRT1 signal and oxidative stress regulation as candidate targets of Cel for subconjunctival fibrosis. The results of immunofluorescence and Western blot showed that Cel inhibited subconjunctival fibrosis by activating SIRT1/PGC-1α/Nrf2 axis and suppressing TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway, while the SIRT1 inhibitor eliminated the effects of Cel. Conclusions: This work demonstrated that Cel effectively alleviated subconjunctival fibrosis by inhibiting oxidative damage via activating SIRT1/PGC-1α/Nrf2 signaling pathway, providing a new potential mechanism to clarify Cel as a potential therapeutic drug to inhibit subconjunctival fibrosis.

Indexed as

ConjunctivaConjunctival DiseasesNF-E2-Related Factor 2Oxidative StressPeroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alphaSirtuin 1TriterpenesAnimalsBlotting, WesternCells, CulturedDisease Models, AnimalFibroblastsFibrosisHumansMalePentacyclic TriterpenescelastrolNfe2l2 protein, ratNF-E2-Related Factor 2Pentacyclic TriterpenesPeroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Coactivator 1-alphaPpargc1a protein, ratSirt1 protein, ratSirtuin 1Triterpenes

Identifiers

PMID40874697
PMCPMC12400975

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.