Omentin inhibits TNF-α-induced expression of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells via ERK/NF-κB pathway

In the present study, we investigated whether omentin affected the expression of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Our data showed that omentin decreased TNF-α-induced expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in HUVECs. In addition, omentin inhibited TNF-α-induced adhesion of THP-1 cells to HUVECs. Further, we found that omentin inhibited TNF-α-activated signal pathway of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) by preventing NF-κB inhibitory protein (IκBα) degradation and NF-κB/DNA binding activity. Omentin pretreatment significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced ERK activity and ERK phosphorylation in HUVECs. Pretreatment with PD98059 suppressed TNF-α-induced NF-κB activity. Omentin, NF-kB inhibitor (BAY11-7082) and ERK inhibitor (PD98059) reduced the up-regulation of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 induced by TNF-α. These results suggest that omentin may inhibit TNF-α-induced expression of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells via blocking ERK/NF-κB pathway.     

Cucurbitacin B suppresses the transactivation activity of RelA/p65

Cucurbitacin B, a natural triterpenoid is well-known for its strong anticancer activity, and recent studies showed that the compound inhibits JAK/STAT3 pathway. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that cucurbitacin B is also a potent inhibitor of NF-κB activation. Our results showed that cucurbitacin B inhibited TNF-α-induced expression of NF-κB reporter gene and NF-κB target genes in a dose-dependent manner, however, it did not prevent either stimuli-induced degradation of IκBα or nuclear translocation and DNA-binding activity of NF-κB. On the other hand, cucurbitacin B dose-dependently suppressed not only NF-κB activation induced by overexpression of RelA/p65 but also transactivation activity of RelA/p65 subunit of NF-κB. Consistently, treatment of HeLa cells with the compound significantly suppressed TNF-α-induced activation of Akt and phosphorylation of Ser536 in RelA/p65, which is required for transactivation activity. Consequently, cucurbitacin B inhibited TNF-α-induced expression of NF-κB-dependent anti-apoptotic proteins such as c-IAP1, c-IAP2, XIAP, TRAF1, and TRAF2 and sensitized TNF-α-induced cell death. Taken together, our results demonstrated that cucurbitacin B could be served as a valuable candidate for the intervention of NF-κB-dependent pathological condition such as cancer.     

Casuarinin suppresses TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 expression via blockade of NF-κB activation in HaCaT cells

Hippophae rhamnoides has been extensively used in oriental traditional medicines for treatment of asthma, skin diseases, gastric ulcers, and lung disorders. In this study, we isolated casuarinin from the leaves of H.rhamnoides and examined the effect of casuarinin on the TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 expression in a human keratinocytes cell line HaCaT. Pretreatment with casuarinin inhibited TNF-α-induced protein and mRNA expression of ICAM-1 and subsequent monocyte adhesiveness in HaCaT cells. Casuarinin significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation. In addition, casuarinin inhibited activation of ERK and p38 MAPK in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, pretreatment with casuarinin decreased TNF-α-induced pro-inflammatory mediators, such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1. These results demonstrated that casuarinin exerts its anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing TNF-α-induced expression of ICAM-1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines via blockage of activation of NF-κB and ERK/p38 MAPK and can be used as a therapeutic agent against inflammatory skin diseases.     

A vaccinia virus deletion mutant reveals the presence of additional inhibitors of NF-kappaB

The classical nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway is an important regulator of inflammation and innate immunity that is activated by a wide variety of stimuli, including virus infection, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 1β (IL-1β). Poxviruses, including vaccinia virus (VV) and ectromelia virus, encode multiple proteins that function in immune evasion. Recently, a growing number of genes encoded by poxviruses have been shown to target and disrupt the NF-κB signaling pathway. To determine if additional gene products that interfere with NF-κB signaling existed, we used a vaccinia virus deletion mutant, VV811, which is missing 55 open reading frames lacking all known inhibitors of TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation. Immunofluorescence analysis of HeLa cells treated with TNF-α and IL-1β revealed that NF-κB translocation to the nucleus was inhibited in VV811-infected cells. This was further confirmed through Western blotting of cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts for NF-κB. Additionally, VV811 infection inhibited TNF-α-induced IκBα degradation. In contrast to vaccinia virus strain Copenhagen (VVCop)-infected cells, VV811 infection resulted in the dramatic accumulation of phosphorylated IκBα. Correspondingly, coimmunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the NF-κB-inhibitory IκBα-p65-p50 complex was intact in VV811-infected cells. Significantly, cells treated with 1-β-d-arabinofuranosylcytosine, an inhibitor of poxvirus late gene expression, demonstrated that an additional vaccinia virus late gene was involved in the stabilization of IκBα. Overall, this work indicates that unidentified inhibitors of NF-κB exist in vaccinia virus. The complex inhibition of NF-κB by vaccinia virus illustrates the importance of NF-κB activation in the antiviral response.     

Eicosapentaenoic acid inhibits TNF-alpha-induced matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in human keratinocytes, HaCaT cells

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an omega-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), which has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Some reports have demonstrated that EPA inhibits NF-κB activation induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in various cells. However, its detailed mode of action is unclear. In this report, we investigated whether EPA inhibits the expression of TNF-α-induced matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9 in human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT). TNF-α induced MMP-9 expression by NF-κB-dependent pathway. Pretreatment of EPA inhibited TNF-α-induced MMP-9 expression and p65 phosphorylation. However, EPA could not affect IκB-α phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of p65, and DNA binding activity of NF-κB. EPA inhibited TNF-α-induced p65 phosphorylation through p38 and Akt inhibition and this inhibition was IKKα-dependent event. Taken together, we demonstrate that EPA inhibits TNF-α-induced MMP-9 expression through inhibition of p38 and Akt activation.     

溃疡性结肠炎小鼠肠道通透性改变与TNF-α及NF-κB P65的关系

目的：采用2.5%葡聚糖硫酸钠（DSS）定量灌胃诱导小鼠溃疡性结肠炎（UC）,观察小鼠结肠通透性改变与肿瘤坏死因子α（TNF-α）及NF-κB p65的关系。方法：48只ICR小鼠随机分为2组（n=24）：对照组和模型组。模型组小鼠给予2.5% DSS定量灌胃诱发小鼠急性UC,对照组小鼠予同体积的蒸馏水灌胃代替。记录两组小鼠疾病活动指数（DAI）,9 d后测定两组小鼠结肠组织病理学评分、结肠通透性、TNF-α及NF-κB p65。统计分析DAI、结肠通透性、TNF-α与NF-κB p65之间的相关性。结果：与对照组比较,模型组小鼠DAI、结肠病理学评分、结肠通透性、TNF-α、NF-κB p65均显著增高（P均<0.01）。小鼠DAI增高与结肠通透性密切相关（P均<0.01）,结肠通透性增高与TNF-α、NF-κB p65密切相关（P均<0.01）。结论：与对照组小鼠相比,DSS造模小鼠的结肠通透性显著增高,并与TNF-α、NF-κB p65增高呈正相关。TNF-α、NF-κB p65增高导致结肠通透性增高,进而导致炎症免疫反应过度增强,可能是UC发病的重要环节。