Inhibitory effects of chelidonic acid on IL-6 production by blocking NF-κB and caspase-1 in HMC-1 cells

Abstract

Chelidonic acid (CA) is a γ-pyrone which is contained in the rhizome of Chelidonium majus L. It has multiple pharmacological effects including those of a mild analgesic, an antimicrobial, an oncostatic and a central nervous system sedative, but the anti-inflammatory effect of CA and its molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the regulatory mechanism of CA in mast cell-mediated inflammatory response by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and calcium ionophore A23187. The results indicate that CA inhibits the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and the expression of IL-6 mRNA through the regulation of nuclear factor-κB. In addition, CA suppresses the activation and expression of caspase-1. These results provide new insights into the pharmacological actions of CA as a potential molecule for use in therapy in mast cell-mediated inflammatory diseases.

Keywords::

• Chelidonic acid
• interlukin-6
• mast cell
• nuclear factor-κB
• caspase-1

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the Kyung Hee University in 2010 (KHU-20100852).

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.