Vascular
inflammation may induce a number of diseases, including organ damage or failure,
heart attack and
stroke. The present study aimed to investigate the use of
wogonin, a compound extracted from herbs, to mediate inflammatory reactions in vascular
inflammation.
Wogonin was loaded in a well‑characterized polymeric
biomaterial carrier. In mice with streptozotocin‑induced vascular
inflammation,
wogonin treatment regulated the production of inflammatory
cytokines, including interleukin‑6,
tumor necrosis factor‑α and granulocyte macrophage colony‑stimulating factor. To understand the impact of
wogonin on major immune cells, macrophages were treated with
wogonin in vitro. It was determined that
wogonin did not affect macrophage viability, and that
wogonin regulated the relative ratio of M1 versus M2 macrophages. In addition, in co‑culture,
wogonin decreased inflammatory
cytokine production and regulated the activation of macrophage surface markers including CD80, CD86 and CD40. Results from the present study may aid in our understanding of the effects of
wogonin in regulating
inflammation, especially its effects on macrophages.