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Baicalin Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation Through Signaling NF-κB Pathway in HBE16 Airway Epithelial Cells

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Abstract

Baicalin, a flavonoid monomer derived from Scutellaria baicalensis called Huangqin in mandarin, is the main active ingredient contributing to S. baicalensis’ efficacy. It is known in China that baicalin has potential therapeutic effects on inflammatory diseases. However, its anti-inflammatory mechanism has still not been fully interpreted. We aim to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of baicalin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in HBE16 airway epithelial cells and also to explore the underlying signaling mechanisms. The anti-inflammatory action of baicalin was evaluated in human airway epithelial cells HBE16 treated with LPS. Airway epithelial cells HBE16 were pretreated with a range of concentrations of baicalin for 30 min and then stimulated with 10 μg/ml LPS. The secretions of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in cell culture supernatants were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were tested by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR). Furthermore, Western blotting was used to determine whether the signaling pathway NF-κB was involved in the anti-inflammatory action of baicalin. The inflammatory cell model was successfully built with 10 μg/ml LPS for 24 h in our in vitro experiments. Both the secretions and the mRNA expressions of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were significantly inhibited by baicalin. Moreover, the expression levels of phospho-IKKα/β and phospho-NF-κB p65 were downregulated, and the phospho-IκB-α level was upregulated by baicalin. These findings suggest that the anti-inflammatory properties of baicalin may be resulted from the inhibition of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α expression via preventing signaling NF-κB pathway in HBE16 airway epithelial cells. In addition, this study provides evidence to understand the therapeutic effects of baicalin on inflammatory diseases in clinical practice.

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Abbreviations

LPS:

Lipopolysaccharide

qRT-PCR:

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

IL-6:

Interleukin-6

IL-8:

Interleukin-8

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor α

NF-κB:

Nuclear factor kappa-B

DMSO:

Dimethyl sulfoxide

BSA:

Bovine serum albumin

CCK-8:

Cell counting kit-8

PMSF:

Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride

TLR:

Toll-like receptors

COPD:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by the Program for Innovative Research at the West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, and Sichuan Technology Department (no. 2014SZ0082).

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, West China Hospital, West China Medical School, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China

      Shou-jin Dong, Guan-hong Li, Hong-li Jiang & Bing Mao

    2. Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Traditional Chinese Medical University, Nanning, 530023, China

      Yun-qing Zhong

    3. Department of Geratology, Sichuan Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Chengdu, 610041, China

      Wen-ting Lu

    Authors
    1. Shou-jin Dong
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    2. Yun-qing Zhong
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    4. Guan-hong Li
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    Corresponding author

    Correspondence to Bing Mao.

    Additional information

    Both authors, Dong SJ and Zhong YQ contributed equally to this article.

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    Dong, Sj., Zhong, Yq., Lu, Wt. et al. Baicalin Inhibits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation Through Signaling NF-κB Pathway in HBE16 Airway Epithelial Cells. Inflammation 38, 1493–1501 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-015-0124-2

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-015-0124-2

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