Water extract of Artemisia scoparia Waldst. & Kitam suppresses LPS-induced cytokine production and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in macrophages and alleviates carrageenan-induced acute inflammation in mice

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Artemisia scoparia Waldst. & Kitam (A. scoparia) is a perennial herbal plant that is widely used as a folk remedy in Asian countries. Several studies have demonstrated that A. scoparia has various physiological effects, including anti-inflammation, anti-hypertension, anti-obesity, anti-hepatotoxicity, and antioxidant effects. Aim of the study: The objective of the present study was to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of water extract of A. scoparia (WAS). Materials and methods: Murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), human monocyte THP-1 and murine fibroblast 3T3-L1 cells were used for the in vitro experiments. Cell viability and cytokine production were determined by the MTT assay and ELISA, respectively. RT-PCR was performed to determine iNOS gene expression and the Griess reaction was used to measure nitrite levels. iNOS protein expression, activation of NF kappa B and MAPKs, and cleavage of caspase-1 and IL-1 beta were determined by Western blot analysis. A carrageenaninduced mouse model of acute inflammation was used in the in vivo experiments. Results: Pretreatment with WAS concentration-dependently suppressed gene expression and IL-6, TNF-alpha, CXCL1 and iNOS protein levels in BMDMs stimulated with LPS. In addition, pretreatment with WAS inhibited LPSinduced production of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in THP-1 cells and CXCL1 in 3T3-L1. Furthermore, LPS induced phosphorylation of p65 in BMDMs, and this induction was dramatically suppressed by WAS pretreatment. We further investigated whether WAS regulates activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is known to be essential for IL-1 beta processing. WAS inhibited the production of IL-1 beta, but not IL-6, in response to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and monosodium uric acid (MSU) crystals in LPS-primed BMDMs. Cleavage of caspase-1 and IL-1 beta was also reduced by WAS. We finally evaluated the in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of WAS in a mouse model of carrageenan-induced acute inflammation. Subcutaneous administration of WAS reduced production of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-alpha, CXCL1, and IL-1 beta. Recruitment of immune cells, mostly neutrophils, was also reduced by administration of WAS. Infiltration of inflammatory cells and edema in the submucosa of air pouch tissues were markedly improved in the WAS-treated groups. Conclusions: Our results indicate that WAS possesses potent anti-inflammatory properties. These findings suggest that A. scoparia is a candidate functional food targeting several inflammatory diseases.

Automated summary

The water extract of Artemisia scoparia demonstrated potent anti-inflammatory properties in both in vitro and in vivo experiments, significantly reducing the production of inflammatory cytokines and recruitment of immune cells. This suggests the potential of A. scoparia as a functional food targeting inflammatory diseases.