Betulin protects mice from bacterial pneumonia and acute lung injury

Betulin, a naturally occurring triterpene, has shown anti-HIV activity, but details on the anti-inflammatory activity are scanty. In this study, we sought to investigate the effect of Betulin on LPS-induced activation of cell lines with relevance for lung inflammation in vitro and on lung inflammation elicited by either LPS or viable Escherichia coli (E. coli) in vivo. In vitro, Betulin inhibited LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and (interleukin) IL-6 levels and up-regulated the level of IL-10. Also Betulin suppressed the phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 protein in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In vivo, Betulin alleviated LPS-induced acute lung injury. Treatment with Betulin diminished pro-inflammatory cytokines, myeloperoxidase activity and bacterial loads in lung tissue during gram-negative pneumonia. Our findings demonstrated that Betulin inhibits pro-inflammatory responses induced by the gram-negative stimuli LPS and E. coli, suggesting that Betulin may represent a novel strategy for the treatment of lung inflammation.