Arctigenin Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury in Rats

• Published in: Inflammation 2015-04, Vol.38 (2), p.623-631
• Main Authors: Shi, Xianbao, Sun, Hongzhi, Zhou, Dun, Xi, Huanjiu, Shan, Lina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Lung Injury - drug therapy; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid - chemistry; Down-Regulation; Enzyme Activation - drug effects; Furans - therapeutic use; I-kappa B Proteins - metabolism; Immunology; Interleukin-1beta - metabolism; Interleukin-6 - metabolism; Internal Medicine; Lignans - therapeutic use; Lipopolysaccharides; Lung - pathology; Male; Neutrophil Infiltration - drug effects; Neutrophil Infiltration - immunology; NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha; Pathology; Peroxidase - metabolism; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Phosphorylation; Random Allocation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rheumatology; Transcription Factor RelA - biosynthesis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism
• ISSN: 0360-3997; 1573-2576
• DOI: 10.1007/s10753-014-9969-z

Arctigenin (ATG) has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effects of ATG on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) remains not well understood. In the present study, our investigation was designed to reveal the effect of ATG on LPS-induced ALI in rats. We found that ATG pretreatment attenuated the LPS-induced ALI, as evidenced by the reduced histological scores, myeloperoxidase activity, and wet-to-dry weight ratio in the lung tissues. This was accompanied by the decreased levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-1 (IL-6) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Furthermore, ATG downregulated the expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65, promoted the phosphorylation of inhibitor of nuclear factor-κB-α (IκBα) and activated the adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPKα) in the lung tissues. Our results suggested that ATG attenuates the LPS-induced ALI via activation of AMPK and suppression of NF-κB signaling pathway.