Study on inhibitory effect of artesunate(青蒿琥酯) on endotoxin-induced production of inflammatory mediators

Objective:To investigate the inhibitory effect of artesunate (青蒿琥酯,AR) on endotoxininduced production of inflammatory mediators.Methods:A macrophage cell line RAW 264 7 was employed in an in vitro experiment.The cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS),AR or LPS+AR respectively,and then incubated for 24 hours at 37 ℃ and 5% CO 2.The supernatants of the cells were collected to detect the concentration of tumor necrosis factorα(TNFα) and nitric oxide(NO).In addition,an endotoxemia animal model was established by intravenous injection of LPS in mice sensitized with carrageenan.The effect of AR on the serum concentration of inflammatory factor TNFα in the endotoxemia model was observed.Results:The in vitro experiment in RAW 264 7 cells showed that AR 2 5~10 0 mg/L obviously inhibited LPSinduced TNFα and NO production.The treatment of mice with AR could reduce the responses of monocytemacrophage and endothelium system to LPS stimulation,resulting in a decrease of TNFα concentration in sera of mice with endotoxemia.Conclusions:AR can evidently inhibit endotoxininduced production of inflammatory mediators from macrophages both in vivo and in vitro,indicating that it can suppress the inflammatory responses caused by endotoxin.