{"title":"Flavonoids of Euphorbia hirta inhibit inflammatory mechanisms via Nrf2 and NF-κB pathways.","authors":"Xiaolin Bai, Lijun Li, Yuning Wu, Bai Jie","doi":"10.1007/s12013-024-01551-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Euphorbia hirta has anti-inflammatory effects in traditional medicine, but its anti-inflammatory mechanism has not been explored at the cellular and molecular levels. To unravel these mechanisms, the main active components in the 65 and 95% ethanol extracts of Euphorbia hirta were first identified by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Subsequently, potential anti-inflammatory targets and signaling pathways were predicted using network pharmacology and experimentally validated using RT-PCR and flow cytometry in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation model of RAW264.7 cells. The results revealed flavonoids as the key active components. Network pharmacology uncovered 71 potential anti-inflammation targets, with a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network highlighting 8 cores targets, including IL-6, TNF, NFκB and Nrf2 et al. Furthermore, Euphorbia hirta exerts anti-inflammation effects through modulation of Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways. Specifically, the 65% ethanol extract of Euphorbia hirta (EE65) and quercitrin (HPG) exerted anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory genes associated with the NF-κB signaling pathway, whereas baicalein (HCS) suppressed cellular inflammation by promoting Nrf2-mediated antioxidant gene expression and enhancing apoptosis of inflammatory cells. The results of the study suggest that Euphorbia hirta has potential for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs.</p>","PeriodicalId":510,"journal":{"name":"Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-024-01551-y","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Euphorbia hirta has anti-inflammatory effects in traditional medicine, but its anti-inflammatory mechanism has not been explored at the cellular and molecular levels. To unravel these mechanisms, the main active components in the 65 and 95% ethanol extracts of Euphorbia hirta were first identified by UPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Subsequently, potential anti-inflammatory targets and signaling pathways were predicted using network pharmacology and experimentally validated using RT-PCR and flow cytometry in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation model of RAW264.7 cells. The results revealed flavonoids as the key active components. Network pharmacology uncovered 71 potential anti-inflammation targets, with a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network highlighting 8 cores targets, including IL-6, TNF, NFκB and Nrf2 et al. Furthermore, Euphorbia hirta exerts anti-inflammation effects through modulation of Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways. Specifically, the 65% ethanol extract of Euphorbia hirta (EE65) and quercitrin (HPG) exerted anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory genes associated with the NF-κB signaling pathway, whereas baicalein (HCS) suppressed cellular inflammation by promoting Nrf2-mediated antioxidant gene expression and enhancing apoptosis of inflammatory cells. The results of the study suggest that Euphorbia hirta has potential for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs.
期刊介绍:
Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics (CBB) aims to publish papers on the nature of the biochemical and biophysical mechanisms underlying the structure, control and function of cellular systems
The reports should be within the framework of modern biochemistry and chemistry, biophysics and cell physiology, physics and engineering, molecular and structural biology. The relationship between molecular structure and function under investigation is emphasized.
Examples of subject areas that CBB publishes are:
· biochemical and biophysical aspects of cell structure and function;
· interactions of cells and their molecular/macromolecular constituents;
· innovative developments in genetic and biomolecular engineering;
· computer-based analysis of tissues, cells, cell networks, organelles, and molecular/macromolecular assemblies;
· photometric, spectroscopic, microscopic, mechanical, and electrical methodologies/techniques in analytical cytology, cytometry and innovative instrument design
For articles that focus on computational aspects, authors should be clear about which docking and molecular dynamics algorithms or software packages are being used as well as details on the system parameterization, simulations conditions etc. In addition, docking calculations (virtual screening, QSAR, etc.) should be validated either by experimental studies or one or more reliable theoretical cross-validation methods.