Research article

Anti-Inflammatory properties of Salograviolide A purified from Lebanese plant Centaurea ainetensis

Jamal Al-Saghir^1,2 , Randa Al-Ashi^1,2 , Ralph Salloum^1,5 , Najat A Saliba^1,3 , Rabih S Talhouk^1,4 and Fadia R Homaidan^1,2

¹Center for Biodiversity Studies, Interdisciplinary Biodiversity Studies in Arid Regions (IBSAR); American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

²Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

³Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

⁴Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

⁵Department of Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA

author email corresponding author email

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2009, 9:36doi:10.1186/1472-6882-9-36

Published:	23 September 2009

Abstract

Background

Anti-inflammatory activities of medicinal plants have largely been attributed to their content of sesquiterpene lactones (SLs). SLs are predominantly found in the sunflower family Asteraceae and have been isolated from many plants of this family, particularly Centaurea. The anti-inflammatory activities of extract of Centaurea ainetensis, a Lebanese endemic plant, and the isolated active molecule were assessed for their potential ant-inflammatory activities.

Methods

Plant extract from Centaurea ainetensis, and the isolated active ingredient Salograviolide A (SA), a sesquiterpene lactones guaianolide, were used for the study. Western blotting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to test the effects of the plant extract and SA on interleukin-1 (IL-1) induced increase in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels and in nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) translocation in an intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) of inflammation. Their effects on inflammation score and cytokine levels were also studied in an iodoacetoamide-induced rat model of inflammation.

Results

Plant extract and SA were shown to reverse the effects observed by IL-1 on COX-2 levels and NF-κB translocation in IEC. SA decreased the level of inflammatory cytokines and the level of inflammation in the animal model.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that SA may be useful in the development of natural therapies for inflammatory diseases.