The hypertrophic scar is a pathological condition characterized by excessive fibrosis of the skin, which is frequently referred to as a benign neoplasm of the epidermis. At present, a dearth of therapeutic methodologies exists that can be considered the ultimate treatment against hypertrophic scar. Consequently, novel interventions aimed at mitigating scarring remain apparent. In the present study, the protective effect of lariciresinol, a flavonoid against the patient-derived hypertrophic scar fibroblasts, was investigated. Results of the study suggested that lariciresinol in a concentration-dependent manner prevented the accumulation of collagen by reducing the protein expression of various collagen biomarkers. Additionally, the study demonstrated the initiation of programmed cell death, known as apoptosis, in human skin fibroblasts by arresting the progression of the cell life cycle specifically at the G2/M phase. The migration and invasion of hypertrophic scar fibroblasts were also inhibited by lariciresinol in the wound-healing migration assay and the transwell cell invasion assay. Our research findings provided evidence for the therapeutic importance of lariciresinol in the treatment of hypertrophic scar by effectively suppressing the extracellular matrix’s activity and multiple functions of fibroblasts.
