Berberine (BBR), an isoquinoline alkaloid, is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders as an herbal medicine in China. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory activities of BBR in a mouse model with acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). Mice were intravenously injected with bone marrow cells from donors combined with splenocytes to develop aGVHD. The body weight, survival rate and clinical scores were monitored. Then the levels of inflammatory cytokines, histological changes (lung, liver and colon), colonic mucosal barrier and gut microbiota were analysed. Moreover, the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (Myd88)/nuclear factor-κB signalling pathway, NLRP3 inflammasome and its cytokines' expressions were determined. The results showed that the gavage of BBR lessened GVHD-induced weight loss, high mortality and clinical scores, inhibited inflammation and target organs damages and prevented GVHD-indued colonic barrier damage. Additionally, BBR modulated gut microbiota, suppressed the activation of the TLR4 signaling pathway and inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome and its cytokine release. This study indicated that BBR might be a potential therapy for aGVHD through NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition.
Keywords: NLRP3 inflammasome; TLR4 signaling pathway; acute graft-versus-host disease; berberine; cytokines; gut microbiota.
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.