VHL ameliorates arecoline-induced oral submucosal fibrosis by promoting HDAC6 ubiquitination and blocking NF-κB pathway

The chronic illness known as oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) results in tissue fibrosis, precancerous lesions, and scarring. It usually manifests itself in the buccal mucosa. It frequently occurs in the buccal mucosa. Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) is an essential component of E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. The loss of VHL led to reduced fibrotic responses, accompanied by ameliorated fiber deposition. However, the precise impact of VHL on OSF is yet unclear. OSF tissues and normal mucosal tissues were applied to analyze the distinct expression of VHL and histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6). Oral fibroblasts were treated to arecoline to simulate OSF in vitro, and molecular biological experiments were conducted to identify the role of VHL in buccal mucosa fibroblasts (BMFs). VHL was downregulated and HDAC6 was upregulated in OSF tissues and BMFs. Overexpression of VHL inhibited fibrosis in arecoline-treated BMFs. VHL inhibits the level of HDAC6 by inducing the ubiquitination of HDAC6. Knockdown of HDAC6 reduces the fibrogenic ability of BMFs. Furthermore, overexpression of HDAC6 contributes to the activation of NF-κB signaling in BMFs. HDAC6 selective inhibitor ACY-1215 inhibited the NF-κB signaling pathway. VHL attenuated arecoline-induced OSF by inhibiting the ubiquitination of HDAC6 and blocking NF-κB pathway. As a result, our study offers new perspectives into the discovery of novel tactics that can be employed against OSF.