In vitro and in vivo inhibitory activities of rutin, wogonin, and quercetin on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production

Shing Chuan Shen, Woan Ruoh Lee, Hui Yi Lin, Ho Chun Huang, Ching Huai Ko, Ling-Ling Yang, Yen Chou Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

207 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Flavonoids are widely distributed in plants, but their biological functions are still unclear. In the present study, in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to demonstrate the inhibitory activities of rutin, wogonin, and quercetin on lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 production in RAW 264.7 macrophages, primary peritoneal macrophages, and Balb/c mice, respectively. In vitro results showed that wogonin and quercetin dose-dependently suppressed lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production in RAW 264.7 macrophages and primary peritoneal macrophages without a notable cytotoxic effect on either cell types associated with a decrease in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression in both cells. Rutin, at 80 μM only, had a slight but obvious inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production in primary peritoneal macrophages. Both wogonin and quercetin attenuated lipopolysaccharide-induced prostaglandin E2 production in vitro. Intravenous injection of lipopolysaccharide (10 mg/kg, i.v.) resulted in a time-dependent induction of NO production in serum, and pretreatment with the L-arginine analog N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) blocked this induction. Intravenous pretreatment of Balb/c mice with rutin, wogonin or quercetin for 1 h followed by lipopolysaccharide treatment significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production, but no inhibition of prostaglandin E2 production was found. A decrease in iNOS protein, but not cyclooxygenase-2 protein, was detected in liver and lung specimens of lipopolysaccharide-treated Balb/c mice in the presence of rutin, wogonin or quercetin. In conclusion, data obtained both in vitro and in vivo suggest that wogonin and quercetin exert inhibitory activity on lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production through suppression of iNOS expression.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)187-194
Number of pages8
JournalEuropean Journal of Pharmacology
Volume446
Issue number1-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 20 2002

Keywords

  • Lipopolysaccharide
  • Nitric oxide (NO)
  • Prostaglandin E
  • Quercetin
  • Rutin
  • Wogonin

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology

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