Puerarin Inhibits C-Reactive Protein Expression via Suppression of Nuclear Factor κB Activation in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Patients with Stable Angina Pectoris

Abstract:  Puerarin (4′-7-dihydroxy-8-β-d-glucosylisoflavone), the most abundant isoflavone-C-glucoside extracted from the root of the plant Pueraria lobata, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in cellular models of inflammation. In this report, we examined the ability of puerarin to modulate C-reactive protein (CRP) expression and key molecules in the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway to determine its molecular target. The protein and mRNA levels of CRP were determined in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with unstable angina pectoris. Also, we detected the I-κBα phosphorylation and the p65NF-κB expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells under our experimental condition. The results indicated that puerarin inhibited the expression of the protein and mRNA levels of CRP in LPS-induced peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Subsequently, we determined that the inhibition of CRP expression was because of a dose-dependent inhibition of phosphorylation and degradation of inhibitor kappaB(I-κB), which resulted in a reduction of p65NF-κB nuclear translocation. We conclude that puerarin acts as an anti-inflammatory agent by blocking NF-κB signalling, and may possibly be developed as a useful agent for the chemoprevention of atherosclerosis.