Wuren Ma

College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China

Objectives. To investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of coptis chinensis plus myrobalan (CM) in vitro and vivo.

Methods. The inflammation in mouse peritoneal macrophages was induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Animal models were established by using ear swelling and paw edema of mouse induced by xylene and formaldehyde respectively. In vitro, cytotoxicity, the phagocytosis of macrophages, the levels of nitric oxide (NO), induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in cell supernatant were detected. In vivo, swelling rate and edema inhibitory rate of ear and paw were observed using CM-treated mice.

Results. At 150–18.75 μg·mL^-1, CM had no cytotoxicity, and could significantly promote the growth and the phagocytosis of macrophages, inhibit the over-production of NO, iNOS, TNF-α and IL-6 in macrophages induced by LPS. In vivo, pretreatment with CM, the ear swelling and paw edema of mice could be significantly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, and the anti-edema effect of CM at high dose was better than dexamethasone.

Conclusion. Our results demonstrated that coptis chinensis and myrobalan possessed synergistically anti-inflammatory activities in vitro and in vivo, which indicated that CM had therapeutic potential for the prevention and treatment of inflammation-mediated diseases.