Inhibitory effects of honokiol on lipopolysaccharide-induced cellular responses and signaling events in human renal mesangial cells

Honokiol has been shown to possess a lot of pharmacologic benefits, including antioxidative, antiangiogenic and antineoplastic effects. In the present study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of honokiol and the signaling mechanisms involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced conditions in human renal mesangial cells (HRMCs). Honokiol did not significantly change HRMC viability when used at a concentration of < 20 μmol/l but markedly altered cell viability at concentrations of > 40 μmol/l. In this study, LPS treatment led to a marked upregulation of the levels of IL-1β, IL-18, TNF-α, TGF-β1, CCL2, CCL3, and CCL5 in HRMCs. The expression of COX-2, iNOS, and their products PGE2 and NO also increased. The upregulation of these molecules was significantly abolished by honokiol in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, honokiol almost completely reversed IL-1β, CCL3, and NO expression at 10 μmol/l, and IL-18, TNF-α, TGF-β1, and COX-2 expression at 20 μmol/l. In addition, phospho-NF-κB p65 at Ser536, phospho-Akt, and phospho-p42/44 were dramatically suppressed by honokiol in LPS-treated HRMCs. These results indicate that honokiol can inhibit the LPS-induced expression of inflammatory cytokines and mediators in HRMCs. The anti-inflammatory mechanisms of honokiol are partly due to the suppression of the phospho-NF-κB p65, phospho-Akt and phospho-p42/44 pathways.