Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activity of luteolin in experimental animal models.
Luteolin, a flavonoid abundant in plants worldwide, demonstrates a spectrum of biological activities. This study is aimed at evaluating its inhibiting effects on inflammatory responses in vivo. We investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of luteolin in acute and chronic models in mice. We found that oral administration of luteolin (10 and 50 mg/kg) efficiently suppressed paw edema when induced by injecting carrageenan, and a similar tendency was also observed in the cotton pellet granuloma test. In the air pouch test, luteolin markedly reduced the number of infiltrated leukocytes and the elevated level of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha (6-keto-PGF1alpha) in the exudate. The results derived from the whole blood assay for cyclooxygenase (COX) and from the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay indicate that luteolin may be a potent selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and that the inhibition is attributable to its down-regulation of the mRNA expression of COX-2 in inflammatory responses.
Ziyan
Li
L
Department of Pharmacology of Chinese Materia Medica, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Yongmei
Zhou
Z
Nan
Zhang
Z
Ning
Tang
T
Baolin
Liu
L
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077102:Apium; D002351:Carrageenan; D031167:Chamaemelum; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004487:Edema / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015745:Granuloma, Foreign-Body / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D031239:Lonicera; D047311:Luteolin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008264:Macrophages; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008517:Phytotherapy; D018515:Plant Leaves; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012639:Seeds
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D012313:RNA; D002351:Carrageenan; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; D047311:Luteolin