Quercetin attenuates Pseudomonas aeruginosa-induced acute lung inflammation by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/NF- κB signaling pathway

In this study, we exploited network pharmacology- and molecular docking-based approach to explore the potential mechanisms of quercetin againstP. aeruginosa pneumonia, which was further validated via in vivo and in vitro experiments. The in vivo experiments demonstrated that quercetin alleviated theP. aeruginosa-induced lung injury by diminishing neutrophil infiltration and production of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1 β, IL-6, and TNF), which was associated with decreased mortality. Moreover, the quercetin-treated mice displayed decreased phosphorylation levels of PI3K, AKT, IκBα, and NF-κB p65 in lung tissues compared to non-drug-treated mice. Similarly, the in vitro study showed that the phosphorylation of these regulatory proteins and production of the proinflammatory cytokines were impaired in the quercetin-pretreated macrophages uponP. aeruginosa infection. Altogether, this study suggested that quercetin reduced theP. aeruginosa-induced acute lung inflammation by suppressing PI3K/AKT/NF- κB signaling pathway.
Source: Inflammopharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research