δ-Amyrone, a specific inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2, exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo of mice

  • Int Immunopharmacol. 2014 Jul;21(1):112-8. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2014.04.019.
Xiaofeng Niu  1 ,  Huan Yao  2 ,  Weifeng Li  3 ,  Qingli Mu  2 ,  Huani Li  2 ,  Hua Hu  2 ,  Yongmei Li  2 ,  Huimin Huang  2
Affiliations
  • 1. School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 2. School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China.
  • 3. School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 24813716 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2014.04.019
Abstract

The whole plant of Sedum lineare Thunb has been used as traditional folk medicines for the treatment of sore throat, persistent hepatitis, jaundice and dysentery. δ-Amyrone (13(18)-Oleanen-3-one), a pentacyclic triterpene compound from S. lineare Thunb, was found to possess a potent anti-inflammatory effect in different inflammation model Animals. Pretreatment with δ-Amyrone (i.p.) inhibited the ear edema in xylene-induced mouse ear edema. δ-Amyrone also decreased the level of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leukocyte numbers in acetic acid-induced peritonitis in vivo. To clarify the possible mechanism of δ-Amyrone, we investigated the effect of δ-Amyrone in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced peritoneal macrophages. The data indicated that δ-Amyrone notably inhibited IL-6, TNF-α and NO production. In addition, the result showed that δ-Amyrone may control the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) regulation and not the cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) at protein levels. These results suggest that δ-Amyrone is a bioactive agent which possesses anti-inflammatory effects, which may be relevant to the regulation of COX-2.

Keywords
Cyclooxygenase-2; Inflammation; Peritoneal macrophages; Peritonitis; δ-Amyrone.
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