Daphnetin reduces endotoxin lethality in mice and decreases LPS-induced inflammation in Raw264.7 cells via suppressing JAK/STATs activation and ROS production

Objective

Here, we used various approaches to investigate the suppressive role of daphnetin in LPS-induced inflammatory response, with the goal to understand the underlining molecular mechanism by which daphnetin regulated these processes.

Methods

We examined the survival rate and the lung injury in the mice model of LPS-induced endotoxemia. The production of pro-inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, nitric oxide (NO), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was measured by ELISA and nitrite analysis, respectively. The expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), and the activation of signaling molecules was determined by immunoblotting. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured by the ROS assay.

Results

In vivo study showed that daphnetin enhanced the survival rate and reduced the lung injury in mice with LPS-induced endotoxemia. Both in vivo and in vitro study showed that daphnetin prevented the production of pro-inflammatory factors including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, NO, and PGE2 after LPS challenge. In Raw264.7 cells, we found that daphnetin reduced LPS-induced expression of iNOS and COX-2, and suppressed LPS-induced ROS production. In addition, we found that daphnetin suppressed the activation of JAK/STATs pathway and inhibited the nucleus import of STAT1 and STAT3.

Conclusions

Here, our results indicate that daphnetin shows anti-inflammatory properties, at least in part, through suppressing LPS-induced activation of JAK/STATs cascades and ROS production.