Pogostone attenuates TNF-α-induced injury in A549 cells via inhibiting NF-κB and activating Nrf2 pathways.

Pogostone (PO), a major component of Pogostemon cablin, displays potent protective effects against lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of PO on TNF-α-induced cell injury in human alveolar epithelial cells in vitro and its underlying mechanism. The cell viability was measured using the MTS method. The cell apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry. The activities of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were detected using a fluorescence microscope. The pro-inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant genes were assessed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B-cells inhibitor-alpha (IκBα), and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 was analyzed using the Western blot analysis. PO alleviated cell apoptosis and inhibited ROS production. It alleviated TNF-α-induced cell injury, suppressed the levels of inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, and IL-8], and enhanced the expression of antioxidant genes (quinine oxidoreductase 1, glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit, heme oxygenase-1). It increased the expression of Keap1 and promoted the activation of Nrf2. However, the phosphorylation of IκBα and the nuclear expression of NF-κB p65 decreased. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of PO were abrogated following Nrf2 and NF-κB p65 knockdown. The results indicated a protective effect of PO against TNF-α-induced cell injury in A549 cells by modulating the balance between Nrf2 and NF-κB p65 signaling pathways. They verified PO as a promising anti-inflammatory adjuvant drug for treating ALI.

Prevention of UV radiation-induced cutaneous photoaging in mice by topical administration of patchouli oil.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Pogostemon cablin has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of many diseases, including skin disorders. In the skin beauty and care prescriptions, Pogostemon cablin is one of the top ten frequently used traditional Chinese medicines. AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study was aimed to investigate the protective effects of the essential oil of Pogostemon cablin (patchouli oil, PO) against UV-induced skin photoaging in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To ensure the quality of PO, the chemical compositions of PO were identified, and the content of its chemical marker patchouli alcohol was determined, which was around 28.2% (g/g) in PO. During the experiment period, the dorsal depilated skin of mice was treated with PO for two hours prior to UV irradiation. Then the protective effects of PO on UV-induced skin photoaging were determined by macroscopic and histological evaluations, skin elastic test, collagen content determination and biochemical assays of malondiaidehyde (MDA) content, activities of anti-oxidative indicators including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT). RESULTS: Compared to UV exposure groups, present results showed that topical administration of PO, especially at dose of 6mg/mouse and 9mg/mouse, significantly inhibited the increase in skin wrinkle formation, alleviated the reduction in skin elasticity and increased the collagen content by about 21.9% and 26.3%, respectively. We also found that application of 6-9mg/mouse PO could not only decrease the epidermal thickness by about 32.6%, but also prevent the UV-induced disruption of collagen fibers and elastic fibers. Furthermore, the content of MDA was decreased by almost 26.5% and activities of SOD, GSH-Px and CAT were significantly up-regulated after the treatment of PO. CONCLUSION: Results of present study revealed that PO was capable of maintaining skin structural integrity caused by UV irradiation and it was useful in preventing photoaging. These protective effects of PO were possibly due to its anti-oxidative property. Therefore, we suggested that PO should be viewed as a potential therapeutic agent for preventing photoaging.

Anti-Candida albicans activity and pharmacokinetics of pogostone isolated from Pogostemonis Herba.

The present work was designed to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo anti-Candida activity of pogostone (PO), a natural product isolated from Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. PO showed potent in vitro activity against clinical Candida spp. isolates tested in this study. PO and the reference drug voriconazole (VRC) were equally effective against all the fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans strains, with MIC ranging from 3.1 µg/ml to 50 µg/ml. Besides, PO was fungicidal against all Candida isolates with MFC ranging from 50 µg/ml to 400 µg/ml. By contrast, VRC was fungistatic as it failed to elicit a fungicidal effect against the Candida spp. isolates at the highest tested concentration (400 µg/ml). Furthermore, oral and topical PO administration effectively reduced the fungal load in vagina of vulvovaginal candidiasis mouse models. Topical PO administration (1.0-4.0 mg/kg) demonstrated higher activity against the vulvovaginal candidiasis than VRC (4.0 mg/kg). The pharmacokinetics and safety profile of PO were also investigated. The pharmacokinetics assay revealed that PO was easily absorbed after oral administration in mice, which might account for its in vivo anti-Candida effect. The acute toxicity test showed that the median lethal dose of PO in mice was 355 mg/kg, which was much higher than the daily dose used for the therapeutic experiments. This study demonstrated the potential of PO as a promising candidate for the treatment of Candida infections, particularly for vulvovaginal candidiasis.