title: Protective Effect of the Fruit Hull of Gleditsia sinensis on LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury Is Associated with Nrf2 Activation.
abstract: The fruit hull of Gleditsia sinensis (FGS) has been prescribed as a traditional eastern Asian medicinal remedy for the treatment of various respiratory diseases, but the efficacy and underlying mechanisms remain poorly characterized. Here, we explored a potential usage of FGS for the treatment of acute lung injury (ALI), a highly fatal inflammatory lung disease that urgently needs effective therapeutics, and investigated a mechanism for the anti-inflammatory activity of FGS. Pretreatment of C57BL/6 mice with FGS significantly attenuated LPS-induced neutrophilic lung inflammation compared to sham-treated, inflamed mice. Reporter assays, semiquantitative RT-PCR, and Western blot analyses show that while not affecting NF-κB, FGS activated Nrf2 and expressed Nrf2-regulated genes including GCLC, NQO-1, and HO-1 in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, pretreatment of mice with FGS enhanced the expression of GCLC and HO-1 but suppressed that of proinflammatory cytokines in including TNF-α and IL-1β in the inflamed lungs. These results suggest that FGS effectively suppresses neutrophilic lung inflammation, which can be associated with, at least in part, FGS-activating anti-inflammatory factor Nrf2. Our results suggest that FGS can be developed as a therapeutic option for the treatment of ALI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Korean Medical Science, Korean Medicine Hospital, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 626-870, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Min Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kwun
authors.forename: Kyun Ha
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji Hyo
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.forename: Chang Woo
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Han-Sol
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Ki-Tae
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Hee-Jae
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Beom-Joon
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ruxana T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Sadikot
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Christman
authors.forename: Sung-Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Myungsoo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Joo