Lonicerae Japonicae Flos Attenuates Neutrophilic Inflammation by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress

Kuei-Hung Lai; Yu-Li Chen; Mei-Fang Lin; Mohamed El-Shazly; Yu-Chia Chang; Po-Jen Chen; Chun-Han Su; Yen-Chun Chiu; Amina M Illias; Chih-Chuan Chen; Lo-Yun Chen; Tsong-Long Hwang

doi:10.3390/antiox11091781

Lonicerae Japonicae Flos Attenuates Neutrophilic Inflammation by Inhibiting Oxidative Stress

Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Sep 9;11(9):1781. doi: 10.3390/antiox11091781.

Authors

Kuei-Hung Lai^{1

2

3}, Yu-Li Chen^{4

5}, Mei-Fang Lin⁶, Mohamed El-Shazly^{7

8}, Yu-Chia Chang^{4

5}, Po-Jen Chen⁹, Chun-Han Su¹⁰, Yen-Chun Chiu⁵, Amina M Illias^{11

12}, Chih-Chuan Chen⁶, Lo-Yun Chen², Tsong-Long Hwang^{4

5

6

11

13}

Affiliations

¹ PhD Program in Clinical Drug Development of Herbal Medicine, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
² Graduate Institute of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
³ Traditional Herbal Medicine Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
⁴ Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan 33303, Taiwan.
⁵ Graduate Institute of Health Industry Technology, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan 33303, Taiwan.
⁶ Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33302, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain-Shams University, Organization of African Unity Street, Abassia, Cairo 11566, Egypt.
⁸ Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, German University in Cairo, Cairo 11432, Egypt.
⁹ Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung 824005, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Department of Food Science, College of Human Ecology, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Anesthesiology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan.
¹² Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33303, Taiwan.
¹³ Department of Chemical Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City 24301, Taiwan.

Abstract

Lonicerae japonicae flos (LJ) is an Asian traditional herb that is used as a dietary supplement, tea, and beverage to clear heat and quench thirst. However, no studies investigated its effect on activated human neutrophils, which played a crucial role in the bad prognosis of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) patients by aggravating lung inflammation and respiratory failure. Herein, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of LJ ethanol extract (LJEE) on human neutrophils activated by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLF). Our experimental results indicated that LJEE suppressed fMLF-activated superoxide anion (O₂^•-) generation, the expression of CD11b, and cell adhesion and migration, as well as the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps in human neutrophils. Further in-depth mechanical investigation revealed that pretreatment with LJEE accelerated the Ca²⁺ clearance, but did not affect the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and protein kinase B (Akt) in activated human neutrophils. In addition, LJEE displayed a dose-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger activity, which assisted its anti-inflammatory activity. From the bioassay-coupled chromatographic profile, chlorogenic acids were found to dominate the anti-inflammatory effects of LJEE. Moreover, LJ water extract (LJWE) demonstrated an interrupting effect on the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 spike protein (SARS-CoV-2-Spike)/angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding. In conclusion, the obtained results not only supported the traditional use of LJ for heat-clearance, but also suggested its potential application in daily health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: Lonicerae japonicae flos; SARS-CoV-2-Spike/ACE2; bioassay-coupled chromatographic profile; calcium mobilization; human neutrophils; superoxide anion (O2•−).

Abstract

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