Oxymatrine inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation by down-regulating Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B in macrophages

Oxymatrine (OMT) is the quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from the Chinese herb Sophora flavescens Ait. that has many pharmacological effects and is used for the treatment of some inflammatory diseases. In this study, RAW264.7 cells and THP-1 differentiated macrophages were pretreated with various concentrations of OMT at 2 h prior to treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1.0 mu g/mL) for different durations. We detected the anti-inflammatory effect of OMT in LPS-stimulated macrophages and investigated the molecular mechanism. We showed that OMT pretreatment significantly inhibited the LPS-induced secretion of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in supernatant, attenuated the mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), increased TLR4 and phosphorylation of inhibitor of kappa B-alpha (p-IB alpha) in cytosol, and decreased the nuclear level of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) p65 in macrophages. In conclusion, OMT exerts anti-inflammatory properties in LPS-stimulated macrophages by down-regulating the TLR4/NF-kappa B pathway.