2. Academic Validation
  3. Anti-inflammatory effects of chicanine on murine macrophage by down-regulating LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines in IκBα/MAPK/ERK signaling pathways

Anti-inflammatory effects of chicanine on murine macrophage by down-regulating LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines in IκBα/MAPK/ERK signaling pathways

  • Eur J Pharmacol. 2014 Feb 5;724:168-74. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.12.016.
Haixia Chen 1,  Johann Sohn 2,  Likang Zhang 3,  Jingge Tian 3,  Shuhan Chen 3,  Leonard F Bjeldanes 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Tianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 2 Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
  • 3 Tianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China.
  • 4 Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 24361309 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.12.016
Abstract

Schisandra chinensis Baill is a Chinese traditional medicine with multiple pharmacological activities. In this study, chicanine, one of the major lignan compounds of S. chinesis, was investigated for suppressive effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory responses in murine macrophages (RAW 264.7 cells). Chicanine was found to have anti-inflammatory properties with the inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) and Prostaglandin E (2) (PGE2) production and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells with no cytotoxic effects. Treatment of RAW 264.7 cells with chicanine down-regulated LPS-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNFα, IL-1β, MCP-1, G-CSF, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). These inhibitory effects were found with the blockage of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK 1/2), and also IκB-α phosphorylation. These results indicated that anti-inflammatory actions of chicanine in macrophages involved inhibition of LPS-induced TLR4-IκBα/MAPK/ERK signaling pathways.

Keywords

Chicanine; ERK; Inflammatory cytokines; IκBα; MAPK.

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