The inhibition of JNK MAPK and NF-κB signaling by tenuifoliside A isolated from Polygala tenuifolia in lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophages is associated with its anti-inflammatory effect

The root of Polygula tenuifolia Willd. (Polygalaceae) is well known for its use in the treatment of neurasthenia, amnesia, and inflammation. In this study, we isolated phenyl propanoicl type metabolite tenuifoliside A, one of the phenylpropanoids from P. tenuifohu, and investigated its anti-inflammatory effects in lipopolysaccharicle ([PS) stimulated RAW264.7 and murine peritoneal macrophages. The results showed that Lenuifolisicle A inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iN05), prostaglandin E-2 (PG E-2), and cyclooxy;4enase (COX) 2. In addition, tenuifoliside A suppressed the production of pro inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL) 1 beta. We also evaluated the effects of Lenuifolisicle A on the activation of nuclear factorkappaB (NF-kappa B). Tenuifoliside A inhibited the translocation of the NF-kappa B subunit p65 into the nucleus by interrupting the phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitor kappa B (IKB)-a in [PS-stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages. Moreover, we confirmed that the suppression of the inflammatory process by tenuifoliside A was mediated through the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) pathway based On the fact that tenuifoliside A significantly decreased p-c-jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNIK) protein expression in [PS-stimulated murine peritoneal macrophages. Taken together, the anti-inflammatory effects of tenuifoliside A were mediated by the inhibition of the NF-kappa B and MAPIC pathways. This study is the first report on the anti-inflammatory effects of tenuifoliside A. and the strong anti-inflammatory effects of tenuifoliside A provide potential compound to be developed as therapeutic for inflammatory diseases. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved