Q43, a new triterpenoid extracted from Chinese acorn, exhibits pronounced anti-neuroinflammatory activity through the MAPK and NF-κB pathways

Abstract Chinese acorn was widely used as a food supplement in eastern Asia. Q43 is a new anti-neuroinflammatory triterpenoid extracted from Chinese acorn. Our aim was to study the anti-neuroinflammatory mechanisms of Q43 using BV2 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide. The results indicated that Q43 suppressed the nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production by inhibiting nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Meanwhile, Q43 attenuated the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, down-regulated the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and IκBα, and attenuated IκBα degradation and inhibited the translocation of NF-κB p65 subunit to the nucleus. Moreover, Q43 significantly suppressed the phosphorylation of p38 (p38α/β/γ/δ), c-Jun NH2-terminal kinases (JNK-1/2/3) and the extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2). These data supported that Q43 is useful for the regulation of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, which suggested that acorn could be used as a functional food.