Sesquiterpene lactones from Artemisia austroyunnanensis suppresses ROS production and reduces cytokines, iNOS and COX-2 levels via NF-KB pathway in vitro.

The inhibitory effects of six sesquiterpene lactones (1-6) isolated from Artemisia austroyunnanensis Ling & Y. R. Ling were studied on the LPS-induced inflammatory mediator production in RAW264.7 cells. The results showed they can decrease the level of ROS in a concentration-dependent response. The compounds down-regulate the expression of iNOS and COX-2 and a series of classical inflammatory factors, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-10. These effects can be partially explained by the supression of the phosphorylation of NF-κB. Additionally, the relationship between their structures and inflammatory factors was analyzed and discussed.