Tanshinone I limits inflammasome activation of macrophage via docking into Syk to alleviate DSS-induced colitis in mice

Tanshinone I (Tan I) has been proven to exert an anti-inflammatory effect, but the complete mechanism remains unclear. In this study, Tan I was described to have no effect on Syk expression in resting or LPS-stimulated macrophages ex vivo, but dramatically suppressed Syk phosphorylation and CD80, CD86, and IL-1β expression of macrophages. The inflammatory activity of macrophages in ApoC3-transgenic (ApoC3^TG) mice is upregulated by Syk activation. Tan I was determined to downregulate Syk phosphorylation and inflammatory activity of macrophages in ApoC3^TG mice, both ex vivo and in vivo. Intraperitoneal injection of Tan I (4 mg/kg) effectively alleviated DSS-induced colitis in mice, accompanying with suppressing the activation of intestinal macrophages. Mechanistically, Tan I-treated macrophages exhibited a decrease in cytoplasmic ROS, NLRP3, GSDMD, and IL-1β, which suggested that the alternative pathway of inflammasome activation in macrophages was suppressed. The SPR assay demonstrated that Tan I bound to Syk protein with a dissociation constant (KD) of 2.473 × 10⁻⁶ M. When Syk expression was knocked down by its shRNA, the inhibitory effects of Tan I on macrophages were blocked. Collectively, Tanshinone I effectively alleviated DSS-induced colitis in mice by inhibiting Syk-stimulated inflammasome activation, hence suppressing the inflammatory activity of macrophages.