2. Academic Validation
  3. Dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol from Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn accelerates wound healing via inactivating NF-κB pathways in macrophages

Dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol from Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn accelerates wound healing via inactivating NF-κB pathways in macrophages

  • J Pharm Pharmacol. 2020 Feb;72(2):305-317. doi: 10.1111/jphp.13205.
Xu Hu 1 2,  Ningbo Qin 1 2 3 4,  Jingjing Xue 1 2,  Siqi Li 1 2,  Xiaofang Huang 1 2,  Jianan Sun 1 2,  Fanxing Xu 5,  Zhanlin Li 1 2,  Dahong Li 1 2,  Huiming Hua 1 2
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design & Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China.
  • 2 School of Traditional Chinese Materia Medica, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China.
  • 3 School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian, China.
  • 4 National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Dalian, China.
  • 5 Wuya College of Innovation, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, China.
PMID: 31742713 DOI: 10.1111/jphp.13205
Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the efficacy of lignin compound dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (DHCA) isolated from Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn in improving wound healing. These findings preliminarily brought to LIGHT the promising therapeutic potential of DHCA in skin wound healing.

Methods: First, the effect of DHCA on healing in vivo was studied using a full-thickness scalp wound model of mice by topical administration. Histopathological examinations were then conducted by haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson's trichrome staining and the immunofluorescence assay. Second, we further examined the anti-inflammatory mechanism of DHCA in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages by immunofluorescence assay and Western blot analysis.

Key findings: DHCA could promote scalp wound healing in mice by enhancing epithelial cell proliferation and collagen formation and reducing inflammatory cells infiltration. Moreover, the NF-κB nuclear translocation was suppressed remarkably by DHCA administration in connective tissue of healing area. DHCA was also shown to inhibit production of nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin (IL)-1β with downregulated inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in LPS-induced RAW 246.7 cells. More importantly, DHCA administration upregulated p-IκBα expression and induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB without affecting its expression.

Conclusions: Our study indicated that DHCA exerted anti-inflammatory activity through inactivation of NF-κB pathways in macrophages and subsequently improved wound healing.

Keywords

NF-κB; dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol; inflammation; wound healing.

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