6-Acetonyl-5,6-dihydrosanguinarine (ADS) from Chelidonium majus L. triggers proinflammatory cytokine production via ROS-JNK/ERK-NFκB signaling pathway

•ADS induced the inflammatory cytokines in macrophages and dendritic cells.•NFκB activation is a critical mediator of ADS-induced cytokine production.•The activation of NFκB was dependent on reactive oxygen species.•ADS phosphorylated ERK and JNK, which was associated with NFκB activation.

Chelidonium majus L. is an herbal plant that is commonly used in Western phytotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine for diuretic, antitussive, eye-regenerative, anti-osteoporotic, and radioprotective purposes. In this study, we purified 6-acetonyl-5,6-dihydrosanguinarine (ADS) from C. majus and investigated its immune-stimulatory effect. We found that ADS has the potential to induce the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 in macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs), that NFκB activation is a critical mediator of ADS-induced cytokine production, and that the activation of NFκB was dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS). ADS induced phosphorylation of ERK and JNK, which was also associated with NFκB activation; phosphorylarion and cytokine production were inhibited by ROS scavenger and by specific MAPK inhibitors. Taken together, the results suggest that ADS from C. majus, as a positive immune modulator, induces inflammatory cytokines that might improve immunity, via the ROS-ERK/JNK-NFκB pathway.

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