
AsianScientist (Dec. 9, 2014) – A compound from the Chinese liquorice plant could slow down the development of metabolic disorders, according to research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.
Obesity is frequently accompanied by chronic, low grade inflammation, a condition which can contribute to the subsequent development of complications such as Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver. Previous research suggested that components of the innate immune system—such as the Toll-like receptors (TLR) and NOD-like receptors (NLR)—are involved in obesity-triggered inflammation. In particular, NLRP3 is activated under conditions associated with diabetes, initiating the formation of a protein complex called the inflammasome which ultimately results in the secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β.
“Identification of small compounds that inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome is required to design effective therapeutics,” said Dr. Kiyoshi Takatsu, a researcher involved in the work from the Department of Immunobiology and Pharmacological Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science for Research at the University of Toyama in Toyama Japan.
“We hope that our findings will provide new information and a strategy that can be exploited for development of new herbal medication for obesity-related diseases.”
To make this find, scientists stimulated mouse macrophages with different inflammasome activators in the presence of isoliquiritigenin, a compound isolated from the Chinese liquorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. Then, activation of NLRP3 inflammasome was examined by measuring IL-1β production in the culture supernatants. Results showed that relatively low concentrations of isoliquiritigenin were highly effective in inhibiting IL-1β production compared with known NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors.
For animal studies, three groups of mice were used. The first group of mice was fed a normal diet and the second group of mice was fed a high-fat diet. The third group of mice was fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 0.5 percent isoliquiritigenin. High-fat diet feeding for 20 weeks induced obesity, Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver in mice, but isoliquiritigenin treatment markedly improved these disorders. Isoliquiritigenin treatment also inhibited high-fat diet-induced IL-1β production in adipose tissue.
“Obesity and associated metabolic disorders are one of the most important emerging medical conditions. Recent work demonstrates a critical role for obesity-driven inflammation in a multitude of medical problems arising from obesity with a central role for the inflammasome,” said Dr. John Wherry, Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.
“This new work not only identifies a novel class of potential inflammasome inhibitors, but also demonstrates effectiveness in a preclinical model of obesity induced disease.”
The article can be found at: Honda et al. (2014) Isoliquiritigenin is a Potent Inhibitor of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation and Diet-Induced Adipose Tissue Inflammation.
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Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology; Photo: Glenn/Flickr/CC.
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