Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour. Methanol Extract Exhibits Anti-Inflammatory Activity by Targeting Syk, Src, and IRAK1 Kinase Activity
Authors: Jae Youl Cho
Mi-Yeon Kim
Deok Jeong
Akash Ahuja
Journal: Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2019)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour; medicinal plant; anti-inflammatory activity; ethanol extract; inflammatory responses
Affiliations: Department of Integrative Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea, School of Systems Biomedical Science, Soongsil University, Seoul 06978, Republic of Korea

Abstract:  Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour., also known as T. palmata Roxb, T. bracteata Lam., T. puber Blume, and Modecca bracteata, is a vine belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family (English name: redball snake gourd). Distributed in China, South and East Asia, and tropical Australia, it has been traditionally used as a medicinal plant for its antifever, laxative, anthelmintic properties and for migraine treatment. In this paper, we examined the effects of Trichosanthes tricuspidata Lour. ethanol extract (Tt-ME) in vitro and in vivo. To confirm the effects of Tt-ME on inflammatory responses, we conducted experimental analyses including level of nitric oxide (NO) production, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting and using a HCl/EtOH-induced gastritis animal model. Tt-ME attenuated the release of NO and decreased mRNA levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), TNF-α, and IL-6 in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner. Tt-ME time-dependently suppressed nuclear translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) subunits p50 and p65, activator protein (AP-1) subunits c-Fos and c-Jun, and STAT3 transcriptional activity by inhibiting nuclear translocation of p50, p65, c-Fos, c-Jun, and STAT3. Tt-ME significantly downregulated NF-κB, MAPK, and JAK2 signaling by targeting Syk, Src, and IRAK1 protein kinases. Furthermore, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression and cell migration were observed to be downregulated by Tt-ME in LPS-activated macrophages. In vivo studies on Tt-ME also produced similar trends in Hcl/EtOH-induced gastritis mouse models by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokines and the inflammatory signaling pathway. Our results strongly suggest that Tt-ME exerted anti-inflammatory activity in LPS-stimulated macrophages and mouse models of acute inflammatory disease. 

Retracted: No

PubPeer comments:
 Figure 4b appears to have at least two potential concerns: one repeated image with altered contrast (red), and two images with possible overlap (although dimensions seem to differ, see blue for approximate area of overlap). Both images below have been contrast enhanced to aid in identification. *** ![file] *** ![file] , 
 December 2, 2020 In the article titled u201cTrichosanthes tricuspidata Lour. Methanol Extract Exhibits Anti-Inflammatory Activity by Targeting Syk, Src, and IRAK1 Kinase Activityu201d [1], there are concerns in relation to duplication in Figure 1(b), as raised on PubPeer [2]. The authors provided an explanation that they have mistakenly used the same migration images. The corrected figure and legend are presented here. ![file] ,