Panax notoginseng
saponins (PNS) are the main active ingredients of Panax notoginseng (Burk) F. H. Chen, which are used as
traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years and have various clinical effects, including anti-
inflammation, anti-oxidation, and cardiovascular protection.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex gastrointestinal inflammatory disease that cannot be cured completely nowadays. The anti-inflammatory and protective effects of PNS were analyzed in vitro and in
dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced
colitis mouse model. PNS inhibited the release of
nitric oxide (NO),
tumor necrosis factor-[Formula: see text] (TNF-[Formula: see text],
interleukin-6 (IL-6), and
monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in Pam3CSK4-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. In the animal study, compared with DSS-induced mice, PNS reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory
cytokines (TNF-[Formula: see text], IL-6, and MCP-1) in the colon tissues. Furthermore, PNS treatment led to a remarkable reduction in the activation of the inhibitor of
nuclear factor kappa-B kinase [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text] (IKK[Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text], I[Formula: see text]B[Formula: see text] and p65 induced by DSS. On the other hand, PNS inhibited the phosphorylation of
c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, and extracellular regulated
protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2). Taken together, our results suggested that PNS conferred profound protection for
colitis mice through the downregulation of
mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-[Formula: see text]B signaling pathways, which were associated with reducing inflammatory responses, alleviating tissue damage, and maintaining of intestinal integrity and functionality.