Shuang-Huang-Lian exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated murine alveolar macrophages

Shuang-Huang-Lian (SHL) is a traditional Chinese compound formula prepared from Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Scutellariae Radix and Fructus Forsythiae. In this study, we demonstrate the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activities of SHL in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated murine alveolar macrophages (MH-S). SHL significantly reduces the transcriptional and translational levels of iNOS and COX-2 as well as the production of NO and prostaglandin E-2 (PGE2). It also suppresses the transcription and translation of inflammatory cytokines production, such as TNF-a, IL-10 and IL-6. These inhibitory effects mainly act via ERK1/2- and p38-mediated AP-1 rather than the NF-KB pathway. In parallel with the antiinflammatory activity, SHL suppresses LPS-induced intracellular total ROS levels by weakening NADPH oxidase activity, enhancing SOD activity and increasing GSH content. In addition, SHL directly scavenges OH and 02 Thus, our study elucidates the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative mechanisms of SHL in LPS-stimulated MR-S. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.