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Planta Med 2023; 89(05): 493-507
DOI: 10.1055/a-1878-5704
Biological and Pharmacological Activity
Original Papers

Scutellaria baicalensis Pith-decayed Root Inhibits Macrophage-related Inflammation Through the NF-κB/NLRP3 Pathway to Alleviate LPS-induced Acute Lung Injury

Fanglei Zhang‡
1   School of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
,
Chang Ke‡
1   School of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
,
Zhongshi Zhou
1   School of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
,
Kang Xu
1   School of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
2   Hubei Research Center of Chinese Materia Medica Processing Engineering and Technology, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
,
Yan Wang
1   School of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
,
Yanju Liu
1   School of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
2   Hubei Research Center of Chinese Materia Medica Processing Engineering and Technology, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
,
Jiyuan Tu
1   School of Pharmacy, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
2   Hubei Research Center of Chinese Materia Medica Processing Engineering and Technology, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, P. R. China
› Author AffiliationsSupported by: Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province 2021CFB227
Supported by: Special project of guiding local science and technology development by the central government of Hubei Province 2020ZYYD030
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Abstract

Acute lung injury (ALI) is one of the representative “lung heat syndromes” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Scutellaria baicalensis is an herbal medicine used in TCM for treating lung diseases, due to its remarkable anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects. When used in TCM, S. baicalensis root is divided into two categories: S. baicalensis pith-not-decayed root (SN) and S. baicalensis pith-decayed root (SD). Compared to SN, SD has a better effect on lung diseases. We constructed a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) mouse model to study the pharmacodynamic mechanism of SD. The ethanolic extract of Scutellaria baicalensis pith-decayed root (EESD) significantly affected LPS-induced ALI by reducing alveolar interstitial thickening, pulmonary edema, and other pathological symptoms, decreasing the infiltration of inflammatory cells, especially macrophages, and inhibiting IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 transcription and translation. Furthermore, in the THP-1 macrophage model induced by LPS, EESD inhibited the expression of phosphorylated nuclear factor inhibitory protein alpha (p-IκBα), phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB P65 (p-p65), cleaved-caspase-1, cleaved-IL-1β protein, and the release of inflammatory factors in the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway, inhibiting macrophage function. In vivo experiments yielded similar results. Therefore, the present study clarified the potential of EESD in the treatment of ALI and revealed its potential pharmacodynamic mechanism by inhibiting the NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway and suppressing the pro-inflammatory phenotype activation of lung tissue macrophages.

Key words

Scutellaria baicalensis - acute lung injury - macrophages - NF-κB - NLRP3

Supporting Information

    The chromatogram of UPLC analysis and the data of methodological investigation (precision, stability and repeatability) and RT-PCR primer sequences are available as Supporting Information.

  • Supporting Information


Publication History

Received: 13 January 2022

Accepted after revision: 18 June 2022

Accepted Manuscript online:
18 June 2022

Article published online:
07 November 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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