Total Flavonoids from Radix Glycyrrhiza Exert Anti-Inflammatory and Antitumorigenic Effects by Inactivating iNOS Signaling Pathways

Yi-Xin Jiang; Yang-Yi Dai; Yi-Feng Pan; Xi-Min Wu; Yue Yang; Ka Bian; Dan-Dan Zhang

doi:10.1155/2018/6714282

Total Flavonoids from Radix Glycyrrhiza Exert Anti-Inflammatory and Antitumorigenic Effects by Inactivating iNOS Signaling Pathways

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 May 22:2018:6714282. doi: 10.1155/2018/6714282. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Yi-Xin Jiang^#¹, Yang-Yi Dai^#¹, Yi-Feng Pan^#², Xi-Min Wu¹, Yue Yang¹, Ka Bian^{1

3

4}, Dan-Dan Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China.
² Shanghai Huanghai Pharmaceutical Co. LTD., Shanghai 200051, China.
³ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
⁴ George Washington Cancer Center, Washington, DC 20052, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) plays an important role in inflammation, which has also been considered as a major driver of breast cancer disease progression. Radix Glycyrrhiza (RG) has been broadly used for its anti-inflammatory and antitumorigenic effects. However, the mechanisms of regulation of iNOS in inflammation and cancer have not been fully explored. Total flavonoids isolated from RG (TFRG) exhibited anti-inflammatory activity through the regulation of ERK/NF-κB/miR-155 signaling and suppression of iNOS expression in LPS/IFN-γ stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages without cytotoxicity. TFRG also markedly reduced tumor mass of breast cancer cell MDA-MB-231 xenografts with suppression of iNOS expression, formation of 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), and inactivation of protumorigenic JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. These results suggested that TFRG limited the development of breast cancer and inflammation due to its property of iNOS inhibition.