Anti-inflammatory Effects And Mechanism Of Water Extract Of Sonchus Oleraceus

Sonchus oleraceus(scientific name: Sonchus oleraceus L.), also known as sowthistle, Picris divaricata Vaniot, endive, Juma sowthistle, bitterherbs, wild mustard, belongs to the Compositae. As the 1-2 years herbaceous plant Sonchus oleraceus grows all over the world, mainly on the mountain slopes, valleys, underbrush, flat ground, open field and the placenear water where the altitude is between 170 and 3200 meters. Sonchusoleraceus L. distributes widely in China including Liaoning, Hebei, Shaanxi, Xinjiang, Sichuan and another places. The main active ingredients of Sonchus oleraceus are Sesquiterpenes and flavonoids. In addition, it also contains coumarin, glycerol ester glycosides, and lignans etc.This kind of plant belongs to medicinal plants and its extracts have many pharmacological effects, such as protecting liver, benefiting for diuresis, depressing blood pressure, anticoagulation, anti-inflammation, anti-bacteria and anti-cancer. It also contains vitamin C, vitamin B1, carotene and some trace elements, such as copper, magnesium, iron, zinc etc.It has the advantages of high nutrition, high yield and good palatability. It also has broad developing prospects for the high nutritional and medicinal value. In recent years, many experimental studies indicate that the Sonchus oleraceus has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects clinically for the treatments of gastritis, enteritis, lung heat cough, sore throat and other inflammatory diseases. But the reports of mechanism research of the Sonchus oleraceus are few. At the same time the research of Sonchus oleraceus should involve antioxidation, reducing the production of NO, inhibition of apoptosis and other aspects, but the former researches lack of logical and detailed illustration.Objective: This research will establish a model of acute inflammation with mouse ear edema by using xylene and the rear paw edema by using carrageenan; analyze the antagonistic effect of aqueousextract of Sonchus oleraceus on the various acute inflammation. At last, by detecting the variation of inflammatory interstitial fluid and serum COX-2, p38 MAPK, TNF- alpha, IL-6 and other related inflammation factors, further investigate the effect of aqueous extract of Sonchus oleraceus on these cytokines, inflammatory mediators, regulating effect of inflammation related pathways, analyze the mechanism of water extract of Sonchus oleraceus anti-inflammatory and immune activity.Methods: Apply xylene to mouse auricle inside and outside, release inflammatory mediators to cause acute exudative inflammatory edema of ear. Subcutaneous injection of carrageenan to the mice paw induces paw swelling. Before building the model, the mice were given gavage administration of aqueous extract of Sonchus oleraceus(0.26g?10g-1, 0.13g?10g-1, 0.065g?10g-1), normal saline for 5 consecutive days. Prepare auricle swelling model after 30 minutes of the gavage administration. 30 minutes later of inducing inflammation, the mice were killed by cervical dislocation. the swelling degree of inflammatory side of auricle and its swelling inhibition rate by weighing the mice inflammatory side and normal side auricular, then analyze the statistical differences between groups. And also prepare paw swelling model after 30 minutes the gavage administration. Five hours later of inducing inflammation, the mice were killed; by weighing the mice inflammatory side and normal side paw and calculating the swelling degree of inflammatory side of paw and its sweeling inhibition rate, then analyze the statistical differences between groups. While drawing the inflammatory group, we should keep the mice blood. After weighing comparison, prepare inflammatory tissue fluid and serum. Detect the inflammatory tissue in fluid and serum by ELISA, COX-2, p38 MAPK, TNFalpha, IL-6 At last analyze the effects of water extract of Sonchus oleraceus on the related factors in the acute inflammation mice.Results: The experiment successfully reproduced the swelling model of ear and paw, xylene and carrageenin can obviously cause the experimental mouse ear edema and swelling of the paw, the acute inflammation model is built. Compared with the model group, in the models of xylene, different dose of water extract of Sonchus oleraceus groups all had inhibitory effects on the swelling of auricle, and with the dose increasing, the inhibiting effect was enhanced(P < 0.05). Each group of swelling inhibition rates were 49.37%, 32.49%, 20.05%. The inhibition effect of Dexamethasone positive control auricle swelling group mice were more obvious(P < 0.01), swelling inhibition rate was 69.09%. Compared with the model group, in the carrageenan induced paw edema, different dose of water extract of Sonchus oleraceus groups all had inhibitory effects on the paw edema, and with the dose increasing, the inhibiting effect was enhanced(P< 0.05), swelling inhibition rates were 28.62%, 22.24%, 20.23%. Dexamethasone positive control paw edema group mice were obviously inhibited. The swelling inhibition rate was 52.61%. The ELISA detection shows that with different doses of the aqueous extract of Sonchus oleraceus we can reduce the content(P<0.05.P<0.01)of different degree of related factors(COX-2, p38 MAPK, TNF- alpha, IL-6, etc.) in the body and blood of the mice, so the aqueous extract of Sonchus oleraceus can protect against the positive role in the inflammatory response play. The inhibitory effect of dexamethasone positive drug is more obvious(P < 0.01).Conclusion: Daubing xylene inside and outside can lead to auricle swelling, subcutaneous injection of carrageenan can cause paw swelling. The aqueous extract of Sonchus oleraceus can inhibit inflammatory swelling in varying degrees based on the evaluation of swelling extent and swelling inhibition rate. The protective effects to the acute inflammation may come from the reduction of COX-2 、p38 MAPK、IL-6、TNF-αand other cytokines and the release of inflammatory mediator. This may also come from the regulation of other inflammation pathway of the body. With further research, Sonchus oleraceus is expected to become an effective medicine for treating inflammation.