Parthenolide inhibits the LPS-induced secretion of IL-6 and TNF-α and NF-κB nuclear translocation in BV-2 microglia.

Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium [L.] Sch. Bip. [Asteraceae]) is a popular herbal treatment used to prevent and treat headache and migraine. Parthenolide (PTN), the sesquiterpene lactonic derivative that is the plant's major component, might be one of the ingredients that act on mediators of inflammation. In the present study, in cultured lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglia pretreatment with PTN caused a dose-dependent reduction of interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion (29% by 200 nm, p < 0.001; 45% by 1 µm, p < 0.001; 98% by 5 µm, p < 0.001); at 5 µm, the highest concentration tested, it also reduced the secretion of TNF-α (54%, p < 0.001). Western blotting analysis on separate cytoplasmic and nuclear extracts showed that PTN strongly reduced the translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB to the cell nucleus. The reduction of microglial activation by inhibition of proinflammatory agents may help attenuate the onset and intensity of acute migraine attacks. These in vitro results provide an additional explanation for the efficacy of orally administered T. parthenium as an antimigraine agent.