A novel chromone derivative with anti-inflammatory property via inhibition of ROS-dependent activation of TRAF6-ASK1-p38 pathway

Hailiang Liu, Rui Xu, Lili Feng, Wenjie Guo, Ning Cao, Cheng Qian, Peng Teng, Lu Wang, Xuefeng Wu, Yang Sun, Jianxin Li, Yan Shen*, Qiang Xu

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Scopus citations

Abstract

The p38 MAPK signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in inflammation. Targeting p38 MAPK may be a potential strategy for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we show that a novel chromone derivative, DCO-6, significantly reduced lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide, IL-1β and IL-6, decreased the levels of iNOS, IL-1β and IL-6 mRNA expression in both RAW264.7 cells and mouse primary peritoneal macrophages, and inhibited LPS-induced activation of p38 MAPK but not of JNK, ERK. Moreover, DCO-6 specifically inhibited TLR4-dependent p38 activation without directly inhibiting its kinase activity. LPS-induced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was remarkably impaired by DCO-6, which disrupted the formation of the TRAF6-ASK1 complex. Administering DCO-6 significantly protected mice from LPS-induced septic shock in parallel with the inhibition of p38 activation and ROS production. Our results indicate that DCO-6 showed anti-inflammatory properties through inhibition of ROS-dependent activation of TRAF6-ASK1-p38 pathway. Blockade of the upstream events required for p38 MAPK action by DCO-6 may provide a new therapeutic option in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere37168
JournalPloS one
Volume7
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 15 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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