Abstract
The aerial parts of Houttuynia cordata used for treating inflammation-related disorders contain flavonoids as major constituents. Since certain flavonoids possess anti-inflammatory activity, especially in the lung, the pharmacological activities of H. cordata and the flavonoid constituents were evaluated using in vitro and in vivo models of lung inflammation. The 70 % ethanol extract of the aerial parts of H. cordata inhibited the production of inflammatory biomarkers IL-6 and NO in lung epithelial cells (A549) and alveolar macrophages (MH-S), respectively. And the same plant material, administered orally (100 and 400 mg/kg), significantly inhibited lung inflammatory response in a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury. From the extract, major flavonoids including afzelin, hyperoside and quercitrin were successfully isolated and they also attenuated LPS-induced lung inflammation in mice by oral administration. In particular, quercitrin showed most potent activity at 100 mg/kg. These results demonstrate for the first time that H. cordata and three flavonoid constituents have a therapeutic potential for treating lung inflammatory disorders.
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Acknowledgments
This study was financially supported by a Grant (12172KFDA989) from Korea Food and Drug Administration in 2013 and 2014, and BK21-plus from the Ministry of Education (Korea). Bioassay facility of New Drug Development Inst. (KNU) was used and greatly acknowledged.
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Lee, J.H., Ahn, J., Kim, J.W. et al. Flavonoids from the aerial parts of Houttuynia cordata attenuate lung inflammation in mice. Arch. Pharm. Res. 38, 1304–1311 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-015-0585-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-015-0585-8