Luo Gan, Kong Jing, Chi-Yan Cheng Brian, Zhao Hui, Fu Xiu-Qiong, Yan Li-Shan, Ding Yu, Liu Yan-Ling, Pan Si-Yuan, Zhang Shuo-Feng, Zhang Yi
School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Beijing China
Beijing Key Laboratory for Production Process Control and Quality Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission Beijing 102400 China.
RSC Adv. 2019 Apr 26;9(23):12977-12989. doi: 10.1039/c9ra01448a. eCollection 2019 Apr 25.
Xiao Qing Long Tang (literally "Minor blue dragon decoction" in Chinese), a traditional Chinese formula, is prescribed to treat respiratory diseases. However, only few studies have been reported on its anti-inflammatory mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of Xiao Qing Long Tang essential oil on inflammatory mediators and explored the mechanisms of action of XQEO in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. XQEO was prepared steam distillation and characterized by GC-MS analysis. MTT and Griess assays were used to measure cell viability and NO production, respectively. The mRNA expression and the production of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10) and chemokines (MCP-1, Rantes, and MIP-1α) were determined by real-time PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Furthermore, we determined the protein levels of the components of NF-κB, AP-1 and IRF3 signalling by Western blotting. Immunofluorescence assay was used to estimate the nuclear translocation of NF-κB, AP-1 and IRF3. The results showed that XQEO inhibited the secretion of NO and PGE2 and down-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of iNOS and COX-2. We also found that XQEO suppressed the LPS-induced overproduction of pro-inflammatory mediators. Moreover, XQEO inhibited the phosphorylation of NF-κB/p65, AP-1/c-Jun, and IRF3 by suppressing their upstream kinases, such as MAPKs, TBK1, Akt, IKKα/β, and IκB, reducing the LPS-induced NF-κB, AP-1 and IRF3 translocation to the nucleus. These findings suggest that XQEO effectively suppresses the production of pro-inflammatory mediators possibly through the inhibition of NF-κB, AP-1, and IRF3 signalling in the LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.
小青龙汤是一种传统中药方剂,用于治疗呼吸道疾病。然而,关于其抗炎机制的研究报道较少。在本研究中,我们研究了小青龙汤挥发油对炎症介质的抑制作用,并探讨了小青龙汤挥发油(XQEO)在脂多糖(LPS)刺激的RAW264.7细胞中的作用机制。通过水蒸气蒸馏法制备XQEO,并采用气相色谱-质谱联用(GC-MS)分析对其进行表征。分别采用MTT法和Griess法检测细胞活力和NO生成量。通过实时定量PCR和酶联免疫吸附测定法分别测定LPS诱导的促炎细胞因子(IL-1β、IL-6、TNF-α和IL-10)和趋化因子(MCP-1、RANTES和MIP-1α)的mRNA表达及生成量。此外,我们通过蛋白质印迹法测定了NF-κB、AP-1和IRF3信号通路相关蛋白的水平。采用免疫荧光法检测NF-κB、AP-1和IRF3的核转位情况。结果表明,XQEO可抑制NO和PGE2的分泌,并下调iNOS和COX-2的mRNA及蛋白水平。我们还发现,XQEO可抑制LPS诱导的促炎介质过量生成。此外,XQEO通过抑制其上游激酶(如MAPKs、TBK1、Akt、IKKα/β和IκB),抑制NF-κB/p65、AP-1/c-Jun和IRF3的磷酸化,减少LPS诱导的NF-κB、AP-1和IRF3向细胞核的转位。这些结果表明,XQEO可能通过抑制LPS刺激的RAW264.7细胞中NF-κB、AP-1和IRF3信号通路,有效抑制促炎介质的生成。