Endotoxins from infectious organisms lead to sepsis, a systemic inflammatory response, and a major cause of death. Numerous studies have shown the potential role of plants and plant-derived compounds in the suppression of LPS induced endotoxemia in vivo. In the present study, we have identified a plant namely Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) as a potent agent for the treatment of endotoxemia. The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of Supercritical Extract of Seabuckthorn Leaves (SCE200ET) and its active component Isorhamnetin (IR) on the LPS induced endotoxemia in Balb/c mice by measuring the level of nitric oxide (NO), TNF-α and IL-6. Expression of COX-2 and iNOS was measured to understand the involvement of various pathways in the mechanism of action of SCE200ET and IR. The results indicated that SCE200ET and IR inhibited LPS induced NO production by peritoneal macrophages. Cytokines mediated effector functions were influenced by the reduction of IL-6 and TNF-α production and CD40 expression was also markedly diminished in the extract or IR treated groups. In addition, the anti-inflammatory properties were further characterized by decreased expression of COX-2 and iNOS proteins. Fractionation and phytochemical analysis of the extract by RP-HPLC led to identification of isorhamnetin, as bioactive component. Thus, SCE200ET extract and its active component Isorhamnetin could be potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of endotoxin induced sepsis.
Keywords: CD40; Cytokines; Endotoxin; Nitric oxide; Supercritical carbon dioxide extract (SCE).
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