Moracin attenuates LPS-induced inflammation in nucleus pulposus cells via Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB/TGF-β pathway

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 3, 2026

NF-κB-dependent Luciferase Activation and Quantification of Gene Expression in Salmonella Infected Tissue Culture Cells
10:57

NF-κB-dependent Luciferase Activation and Quantification of Gene Expression in Salmonella Infected Tissue Culture Cells

Published on: January 12, 2020

11.1K

Ronghe Gu1, Zonggui Huang1, Huijiang Liu1

  • 1Department of Orthopedics, The First People's Hospital of Nanning, Nanning 530022, China.

Bioscience Reports
|November 16, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Moracin protects intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus cells from inflammation by regulating key cellular pathways. This compound reduces inflammatory cytokines and matrix degradation, offering potential therapeutic benefits.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Intervertebral disc degeneration is linked to inflammation.
  • Nucleus pulposus cells are crucial for disc health.
  • LPS challenge induces inflammation and matrix degradation in these cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate moracin's protective effects on nucleus pulposus cells.
  • Elucidate the underlying mechanisms of moracin's action.
  • Assess moracin's impact on inflammation and matrix degradation.

Main Methods:

  • Primary culture of nucleus pulposus cells.
  • Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge to induce inflammation.
  • Moracin treatment and Nrf-2 knockdown experiments.
  • Analysis of inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress markers, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).
  • Western blotting and RT-PCR for pathway analysis (Nrf2/HO-1, NF-κB/TGF-β).

Main Results:

  • Moracin inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α).
  • Moracin reduced oxidative stress markers (MDA) and enhanced antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT).
  • Moracin reversed LPS-induced changes in Nrf-2, HO-1, NF-κB, IκBα, Smad-3, and TGF-β.
  • Moracin decreased matrix degradation enzymes (MMP-3, MMP-13).
  • Nrf-2 knockdown abolished moracin's protective effects.

Conclusions:

  • Moracin exhibits protective effects against LPS-induced inflammation in nucleus pulposus cells.
  • Moracin's mechanism involves regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB/TGF-β pathways.
  • Moracin mitigates oxidative stress and matrix degradation, suggesting therapeutic potential for intervertebral disc disorders.
Keywords:
LPSMoracinNrf-2inflammationintervertebral disc degeneration

Related Concept Videos

NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway02:26

NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway

The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The...
9.7K
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-activators and Co-repressors

Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
8.3K
TGF - β Signaling Pathway01:16

TGF - β Signaling Pathway

The TGF-β signaling pathway regulates cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, motility, and development. TGF-β ligands that induce TGF-β signaling are synthesized in their latent form. Several proteases or cell surface receptors such as integrins act upon the latent form, releasing the active ligand. There are three types of mammalian TGF-βs: (TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3) that bind as homodimers or heterodimers to TGF-β receptors. The TGF-β receptors...
10.3K
T Cell Types and Functions01:24

T Cell Types and Functions

When T cells with CD4 markers are activated, they give rise to two types of effector cells: helper T cells and regulatory T cells. Meanwhile, T cells with CD8 markers differentiate into effector cytotoxic T cells. The differentiation of CD4 T cells into helper T cell subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, is dependent on the antigen type, antigen-presenting cell, and regulatory cytokines.
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
2.0K