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Artesunate Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Proinflammatory Responses by Suppressing TLR4, MyD88 Expression, and NF-κB Activation in Microglial Cells

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Abstract

Microglia are considered as a major target in the prevention of neuroinflammation by modulating the production of pro-inflammatory mediators. Artesunate, a water-soluble artemisinin derivative, exerts an anti-inflammatory effect. In the present study, we showed artesunate dose-dependently suppressed the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) in BV2 microglial cells. In addition, artesunate inhibited LPS-induced expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) by blockade of inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB) degradation. This data indicate that artesunate attenuates the generation of proinflammatory mediators on LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. And this effect may be associated with the suppression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways. Therefore, artesunate may be a potential anti-neuroinflammatory agent.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the affiliated hospital of Xuzhou Medical College (No. 2013104049). Additional support is provided by the neurobiology laboratory of Xuzhou Medical College.

Conflict of Interest

There is no conflict of interest to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, 99 West Huaihai Road, Xuzhou, 221002, Jiangsu Province, China

    Dunjing Wang, Wei Ge, Chenghua Xiao, Deqin Geng & Yonghai Liu

  2. Postgraduate School, Xuzhou Medical College, 209 Tongshan Road, Xuzhou, 221004, Jiangsu Province, China

    Jun Shi, Shuiqing Lv & Weiwei Xu

  3. Department of Neurology, Liyang People’s Hospital, 129 East Street, Liyang, 213300, Jiangsu Province, China

    Jun Shi

  4. Department of Neurology, Suzhou Kowloon Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University Medical School, 118 Wansheng Street, Suzhou, 215021, Jiangsu Province, China

    Jizhen Li

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  1. Dunjing Wang
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  4. Weiwei Xu
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Correspondence to Deqin Geng or Yonghai Liu.

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Wang, D., Shi, J., Lv, S. et al. Artesunate Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Proinflammatory Responses by Suppressing TLR4, MyD88 Expression, and NF-κB Activation in Microglial Cells. Inflammation 38, 1925–1932 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-015-0172-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-015-0172-7

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