2. Academic Validation
  3. Obacunone Inhibits Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation and Ischemic Injury by Targeting Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1

Obacunone Inhibits Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation and Ischemic Injury by Targeting Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1

  • J Inflamm Res. 2026 Mar 3:19:551466. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S551466.
Jing Huang # 1 2,  Zuobin Hu # 1 2,  Jie Zhang # 1 2,  Jing Xiao 1 2,  Ran Zhang 1 2,  Shengnan Xia 2 3 4 5,  Haiyan Yang 2 3 4 5,  Xinyu Bao 2 3 4 5,  Fan Zhang 6,  Yun Xu 1 2 3 4 5,  Xiaolei Zhu 1 2 3 4 5,  Jiali Jin 1 2 3 4 5 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Clinical College of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
  • 2 Department of Neurology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
  • 3 State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Institute of Translational; Medicine for Brain Critical Diseases, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
  • 4 Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular Medicine, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
  • 5 Nanjing Neurology Clinical Medical Center, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
  • 6 State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory for TCM Evaluation and Translational Research, School of Traditional Chinese Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, 211198, People's Republic of China.
  • 7 Department of Clinical Nutrition, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210008, People's Republic of China.
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 41798644 DOI: 10.2147/JIR.S551466
Abstract

Objective: Obacunone (OB) possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and Anticancer properties. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of OB in ischemic stroke, and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Primary microglia were preincubated with OB for 2 h, followed by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation for either 3 or 24 h. The levels of inflammatory cytokines in primary microglia were assessed via Real-Time PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and Western blot. The activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor kappa B (MAPK/NF-κB) signaling pathway was evaluated via immunofluorescence staining and Western blot. For in vivo experiments, 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to 4 groups: the sham-operated group, the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model group and the MCAO group treated with OB (5 mg/kg/day and 10 mg/kg/day), and the sham-operated and MCAO model groups received an equivalent volume of vehicle. The neurological deficits and memory functions were evaluated by a cassette of behavior tests. 2,3,5-Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and Evans blue staining were performed to evaluate infarct size and blood-brain barrier permeability. Additionally, network pharmacology and molecular docking predicted mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK1) as a potential target of OB, and this interaction was validated via surface plasmon resonance (SPR), cellulase thermal shift assay (CETSA), and drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) experiments.

Results: OB effectively inhibited the activation of the MAPK/NF-κB pathway and reduced microglia-mediated inflammatory cytokine production both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, OB attenuated ischemic brain injury in MCAO mice and improved memory function 30 days after MCAO. Moreover, OB directly bound to MAPK1, with ARG-146 as the critical binding site.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that OB binds to MAPK1 and alleviates neuroinflammation and ischemic injury, making it a potential therapeutic agent for ischemic stroke.

Keywords

ischemic stroke; microglia; mitogen-activated protein kinase 1; neuroinflammation; obacunone.

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