Anti-inflammatory effect of the aqueous extract from Lonicera japonica flower is related to inhibition of NF-kappaB activation through reducing I-kappaBalpha degradation in rat liver.

We investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of aqueous extract from Lonicera japonica flower (AELJ), a traditional skin rash drug, in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat liver sepsis. Immunoblot analysis showed that the level of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaBp65 was rapidly up-regulated and inhibitory (I)-kappaBalpha was down-regulated by LPS challenge. However, AELJ inhibited the increase of NF-kappaBp65 and degradation of I-kappaBalpha in the liver of LPS-challenged rats. Immunohistochemical analysis of rat hepatocytes showed that LPS-induced inflammatory responses, involving degradation of I-kappaBalpha and induction of NF-kappaBp65, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), are partially inhibited by pretreatment with AELJ. These results suggest that AELJ may act as a therapeutic agent for inflammatory disease through a selective regulation of NF-kappaB activation.