The in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activities of triterpene saponins from Clematis florida

Abstract

Clematis florida is widely used in She Ethnopharmacy in China owing to its significant anti-inflammatory activities. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of the active fraction of C. florida (CFAF) in an arthritis animal model and its possible mechanism. Pre-inflammatory cytokine levels were examined by ELISA. CFAF can significantly improve the symptoms of arthritis such as paw swelling, arthritic index, and histological condition in AA rat. CFAF can also reduce levels of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6. Further studies showed that triterpene saponins from CFAF induced anti-inflammatory activity inhibited inflammatory mediators by blocking JAK/STAT signalling pathways in the LPS-treated macrophages.

Keywords:

• Clematis florida
• triterpene saponins
• anti-inflammation
• rheumatoid arthritis

Supplementary material

Experimental information related to this article is available online, along with Table S1 and Figures S1–S6.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.41806173), Fujian Natural Science Foundation (No. 2020J01619), Key Laboratory of Marine Biological Genetic Resources of the State Oceanic Administration (HY201807, HY201604).