ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECT OF RHIZOMES OF AN ARGENTINIAN MEDICINAL PLANT (Smilax campestris) MEDIATED BY THE INHIBITION OF THE NFkB TRANSCRIPTION PATHWAY

SALAVERRY LUCIANA; PARRADO CECILIA; MANGONE FRANCO; SACCODOSSI NATALIA; RUGNA ANA; BLANCO GUILLERMO; GENTILE TERESA; CANELLADA ANDREA; REY-ROLDAN ESTELA

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunion conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2017

Smilax campestris (S. campestris) is a medicinal plant wildly distributedin northern Argentina. It has been used in folk medicine forits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. Activated macrophagesproduce pro-inflammatory mediators and reactive oxygen species(ROS) promoting the establishment of an inflammatory state. TheNF-kB transcription factor pathway has a crucial role as a modulatorof the inflammatory response. Previously we showed an anti-inflammatoryeffect of S. campestris aqueous extract on the production ofpro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8), metalloproteinase-9activity (MMP-9) and superoxide anion levels in LPS-activatedTHP-1 macrophages without exerting cytotoxic effects. In this study,we evaluated the effect of S. campestris aqueous extract on theproduction of the chemokine MCP-1 (ELISA) and the activation ofIκB/NFκB transcription pathway (western blot) in a human monocyte-macrophage cell line, THP-1, differentiated with PMA. Cellswere stimulated with S. campestris aqueous extract (10, 100, 1.000and 10.000 ng/ml) in absence or presence of the inflammatory stimulus,lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The aqueous extract of rhizomes ofS. campestris did not affect MCP-1 levels in absence of LPS. But theextract significantly decreased the production of the latter chemokinein human LPS-activated THP-1 macrophages (p <0.05). In addition,S. campestris extract (10.000 ng/ml) decreased NFκB-p65levels in nuclear extracts (p<0.01), suggesting NFκB pathway isinvolved in the anti-inflammatory effect of S. campestris extract onTHP-1 macrophages. In conclusion, we suggest an anti-inflammatoryeffect of S. campestris aqueous extract mediated by the inhibitionof the NFkB-p65 transcription pathway affecting the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, in human LPS-activated THP-1 macrophages.Our results provide evidence for the potential use of S.campestris aqueous extract as a therapeutic agent against severalinflammatory diseases.