Artemisia Extract Suppresses NLRP3 and AIM2 Inflammasome Activation by Inhibition of ASC Phosphorylation

Mediators Inflamm. 2018 Mar 4:2018:6054069. doi: 10.1155/2018/6054069. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Artemisia princeps var. orientalis (Asteraceae, A. princeps) is a well-known traditional medicinal herb used for treating various inflammatory disorders in Korea, Japan, China, and other Asian countries. In the present study, we investigated the effects of A. princeps extract (APO) on interleukin- (IL-) 1β regulation and inflammasome activation in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and monosodium urate- (MSU-) induced peritonitis mouse model in vivo. The APO treatment to BMDMs primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) attenuated the NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasome activation induced by danger signals, such as ATP, nigericin, silica crystals, and poly (dA:dT), respectively. Mechanistic study revealed that APO suppressed the ASC oligomerization and speck formation, which are required for inflammasome activation. APO treatment also reduced the ASC phosphorylation induced by the combination of LPS and a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor. In vivo evaluation revealed that intraperitoneal administration of APO reduced IL-1β levels, significantly (p < 0.05) and dose dependently, in the MSU-induced peritonitis mouse model. In conclusion, our study is the first to report that the extract of A. princeps inhibits inflammasome activation through the modulation of ASC phosphorylation. Therefore, APO might be developed as therapeutic potential in the treatment of inflammasome-mediated inflammatory disorders, such as gouty arthritis.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Artemisia / chemistry*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Inflammasomes / drug effects*
  • Inflammasomes / metabolism*
  • Interleukin-1beta / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein / genetics
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein / metabolism*
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / therapeutic use*
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / metabolism

Substances

  • Aim2 protein, mouse
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Inflammasomes
  • Interleukin-1beta
  • NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein
  • Plant Extracts
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha