2. Academic Validation
  3. Cornuside alleviates psoriasis-like skin lesions in mice by relieving inflammatory effects

Cornuside alleviates psoriasis-like skin lesions in mice by relieving inflammatory effects

  • Int Immunopharmacol. 2024 May 4:134:112183. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112183.
Fenglian Yan 1,  Lin Wang 2,  Junfeng Zhang 1,  Zhihong Liu 3,  Bin Yu 4,  Wenbo Li 2,  Zhengran Guo 2,  Dongmei Shi 5,  Hui Zhang 6,  Huabao Xiong 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Institute of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, China; Jining Key Laboratory of Immunology, Jining Medical University, Jining, China.
  • 2 Institute of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, China.
  • 3 School of Basic Medicine, Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, China.
  • 4 College of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, China.
  • 5 Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Department of Dermatology, Jining First People's Hospital, Jining, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6 Institute of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, China; Jining Key Laboratory of Immunology, Jining Medical University, Jining, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 7 Institute of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, China; Jining Key Laboratory of Immunology, Jining Medical University, Jining, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 38705031 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.112183
Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease substantially affecting the quality of life, with no complete cure owing to its complex pathogenesis. Cornuside, a major bioactive compound present in Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc., which is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine with a variety of biological and pharmacological activities, such as anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its effects on psoriasis remain unclear. Our preliminary analysis of network pharmacology showed that cornuside may be involved in psoriasis by regulating the inflammatory response and IL-17 signaling pathway. Thus, we investigated the protective role and mechanism of cornuside in the pathogenesis of psoriasis in an imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model. In-vivo experiments demonstrated that cornuside-treated mice had reduced skin erythema, scales, thickness, and inflammatory infiltration. The Psoriasis Area Severity Index score was significantly lower than that of the IMQ group. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that cornuside effectively inhibited Th1- and Th17-cell infiltration and promoted aggregation of Th2 cells in skin tissues. Cornuside also inhibited the infiltration of macrophages to the skin. Furthermore, in-vitro experiments indicated that cornuside also decreased the polarization of M1 macrophages and reduced the levels of associated cytokines. Western blotting demonstrated that cornuside suppressed the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular receptor kinase (ERK) in bone marrow-derived macrophages. Our findings indicate that cornuside has a protective effect against IMQ-induced psoriasis by inhibiting M1 macrophage polarization through the ERK and JNK signaling pathways and modulating the infiltration of immune cells as well as the expression of inflammatory factors.

Keywords

Cornuside; Macrophages; Psoriasis; Traditional Chinese medicine.

Figures
Products