Coptis chinensis (CC) is widely used in Asian countries to treat inflammatory diseases. We investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of the aqueous fraction separated from CC extract and of berberine, its key bioactive component, in human keratinocytes and the possible molecular mechanisms underlying this. Treating HaCaT keratinocytic cells with heat-killed Propionibacterium acnes induced nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokine (e.g., tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-8) production and their mRNA expression; these effects were suppressed by pretreatment with the aqueous fraction or berberine, which also suppressed the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and p38 kinases and the nuclear expression of nuclear factor (NF)-κB p65 in P. acnes-stimulated cells. Thus, the aqueous fraction and berberine effectively exerted anti-inflammatory activities by suppressing mitogen-activated protein kinase and NF-κB signaling pathways in human keratinocytes and may be used for treating P. acnes-induced inflammatory skin diseases.
Keywords: Anti-inflammation; Coptis chinensis; P. acnes; berberine; keratinocytes.