title: Anti-inflammatory Effect of Picrorhiza kurroa in Experimental Models of Inflammation.
abstract: Picrorhiza kurroais an important medicinal plant in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. The root and rhizome of this plant are used for the treatment of various liver and inflammatory conditions. In the present study, we sought to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity ofP. kurroarhizome extract against carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton pellet implantation-induced granuloma formation in rats. In addition, its immunomodulatory activity was evaluated in Complete Freund's Adjuvant-induced stimulation of a peritoneal macrophage model and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Pretreatment withP. kurroarhizome extract inhibited carrageenan-induced paw edema and cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation in a dose-dependent manner. This was associated with reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) accompanied with increased anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) in the serum and peritoneal macrophages. Additionally,P. kurroarhizome extract inhibited inflammatory TNF-receptor 1 and cyclooxygenase-2 in Complete Freund's Adjuvant-induced activated peritoneal macrophages. Furthermore,P. kurroarhizome extract treatment significantly inhibited iNOS and suppressed the activation of NF-κB through inhibition of its phosphorylation and by blocking the activation of IκB kinase alpha in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Taken together, these results suggest thatP. kurroahas anti-inflammatory activity that is mediated through the suppression of macrophage-derived cytokine and mediators via suppression of NF-κB signaling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Yogendra Kumar
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Surender
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Research officer, Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raj
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000032:analysis / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002460:Cell Line; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D015745:Granuloma, Foreign-Body / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008517:Phytotherapy; D032261:Picrorhiza / Q000737:chemistry*; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents