Berberine hydrochloride prevents postsurgery intestinal adhesion and inflammation in rats.

Abstract

Intestinal adhesion, characterized by connection of the loops of the intestine with other abdominal organs by fibrous tissue bands, remains an inevitable event of abdominal operations and can cause a number of complications. Berberine hydrochloride (berberine), a natural plant alkaloid derived from Chinese herbal medicine, is characterized by diverse pharmacological effects, such as anticancer and lower elevated blood glucose. This study is designed to investigate the effects of berberine on adhesion and inflammation after abdominal surgeries and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Adhesion severity grades and collagen deposition were assessed 14 days after surgery. We evaluated the levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and examined transforming growth factor-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and TAK1/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling. The surgery group experienced the most severe adhesions, and berberine strikingly reduced the density and severity of adhesion. Results showed significant lower expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-β, TNF-α, and ICAM-1, in berberine groups compared with the operation group. Activities of phosphorylated JNK and phosphorylated NF-κB were inhibited in the berberine groups compared with the surgery group. Our novel findings identified berberine hydrochloride as a promising strategy to prevent adhesion by downregulating ICAM-1 and reduce inflammation by inhibiting the TAK1/JNK and TAK1/NF-κB signaling after abdominal surgery, which brought out a good therapeutic approach for the development of clinical application for postoperative abdominal adhesion and inflammation.

• Authors: Yong Zhang, Xiaoguang Li, Qingwei Zhang, Jiamin Li, Jiaming Ju, Ning Du, Xin Liu, Xiaohui Chen, Feiran Cheng, Lei Yang, Chaoqian Xu, Muhammad U Bilal, Yunwei Wei, Yanjie Lu, Baofeng Yang
• Journal: The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics (J Pharmacol Exp Ther) Vol. 349 Issue 3 Pg. 417-26 (Jun 2014) ISSN: 1521-0103 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 24676878 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Anti-Inflammatory Agents
• Interleukin-1beta
• Interleukin-6
• Transforming Growth Factor beta
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
• Berberine
• Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1

Topics

• Animals
• Anti-Inflammatory Agents (administration & dosage, chemistry, therapeutic use)
• Berberine (administration & dosage, chemistry, therapeutic use)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (metabolism)
• Interleukin-1beta (immunology)
• Interleukin-6 (immunology)
• Intestinal Diseases (immunology, metabolism, prevention & control)
• Male
• Molecular Structure
• Postoperative Complications (immunology, metabolism, prevention & control)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Tissue Adhesions (immunology, metabolism, prevention & control)
• Transforming Growth Factor beta (immunology)
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (immunology)