LAUSR

Acute liver failure (ALF) is life‐threatening and often associated with high mortality rates. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether extracellular histone H3 could induce ferroptosis in hepatic macrophages in ALF and explore its potential mechanism. RAW264.7 macrophages and C57BL/6 mice were used in this study. LPS, D‐galactosamine (D‐Gal), histone H3, histone H3 antibody, NOD2 agonist Muramyl Dipeptide (MDP) and HDAC6‐siRNA were administered in this study. The key molecules of ferroptosis, NOD2, HDAC6 and the NF‐κb pathway, were detected. In vitro, histone H3 was released into the extracellular environment from cell nucleus after LPS exposure. In addition, histone H3 could induce ferroptosis in RAW264.7 macrophages with increased level of Fe2+ and ROS and decreased levels of GPX4 and GSH. MDP further aggravated ferroptosis in RAW264.7 macrophages stimulated by histone H3, which was accompanied by elevated NOD2, HDAC6, p‐P65 and IκBα. HDAC6‐siRNA ameliorated ferroptosis in RAW264.7 macrophages induced by histone H3, which was accompanied by decreased levels of HDAC6, p‐P65 and IκBα. However, HDAC6‐siRNA did not alter NOD2 levels in RAW264.7 macrophages administered histone H3. In vivo, the levels of NOD2, HDAC6 the NF‐κb pathway and ferroptosis were increased in ALF mice, which were downregulated by histone H3 antibody and upregulated by histone H3. Extracellular histone H3 could induce ferroptosis in hepatic macrophages in ALF by regulating theNOD2‐mediated HDAC6/NF‐κb signalling pathway.