Gentiopicroside (GENT) protects against sepsis induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Sepsis is a high-mortality disease without effective therapeutic options. The hyperactivation of the monocyte-macrophage system, especially M1 macrophages, triggers the onset of septic shock. Gentiopicroside (GENT), the main active component in the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Radix Gentianae, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Nevertheless, this anti-inflammatory effect has not been fully elucidated.

In vitro, we stimulated primary bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) or peritoneal elucidated macrophages (PEMs) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon (IFN)-γ and pre-treated with GENT and we tested the cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α production by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Further, we determined the NF-κB-mediated inflammatory pathway such as IKKα/β and p65 phosphorylation by Western blot. Then we detected the p65 nuclear localization by immunofluorescent staining. Moreover, NF-κB inhibitor and p65-targeted siRNAs were further used to validate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of GENT. In vivo, GENT (50 mg/kg) was administered intragastrically before and after LPS (40 mg/kg) injection. The death time were recorded and the serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα were tested by ELISA, and the IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα mRNA expression in the lung were test by qPCR and the M1 infiltration in the lung were determined by F4/80 and INOS immunofluorescent staining.

In vitro, we observed that GENT reduced the inflammatory cytokine production of BMMs stimulated by (LPS)/IFN-γ and ameliorated the phosphorylation of IKKα/β and p65, the degradation of IκBα, and the translocation of p65 into the nucleus. We did not find GENT has any effect on MAPK signaling under LPS/IFN-γ stimulation. NF-κB inhibitor and p65 siRNAs eliminated the inhibition effect of GENT. In vivo, we observed GENT prevented mice from dying in the LPS-induced shock model and decreased the serum levels of IL-1β and IL-6, the mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNFα in lung tissue, and the amount of M1 macrophage infiltration in the lung.

GENT prevented LPS/IFN-γ-induced inflammatory cytokine production by macrophages through the NF-κB signaling pathway in vitro and protected against the endotoxin shock induced by LPS in vivo.