Glycyrrhiza uralensis polysaccharides ameliorate acute lung injury by inhibiting the activation of multiple inflammasomes

• Published in: Journal of functional foods Vol. 100; p. 105386
• Main Authors: Kan, Wen, Li, Qiang, Li, Pengyan, Ren, Lutong, Mu, Wenqing, Lin, Li, Wen, Jincai, Ge, Feilin, Hou, Manting, Hui, Siwen, He, Ping, Liang, Longxin, Xu, Yingjie, Li, Xinyu, Xu, Guang, Xiao, Xiaohe, Bai, Zhaofang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-01-2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: ASC oligomerization; GUP; LPS-induced acute lung injury; NLRP3 inflammasome; LPS-induced acute lung injury; GUP; NLRP3 inflammasome; ASC oligomerization
• ISSN: 1756-4646; 2214-9414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2022.105386

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•GUP suppressed the activation of multiple inflammasomes.•GUP inhibits inflammasome activation by preventing ASC oligomerization.•GUP inhibits neutrophil release in the LPS-induced acute lung injury model.•GUP may be a candidate drug for the treatment of inflammasome-mediated diseases.
Glycyrrhiza uralensis polysaccharides (GUP) has biological activities such as immune regulation, anti-tumor, and liver protection, and has good development prospects in the fields of medicines and health products, but its specific mechanism of action is not yet clear. In our study, we confirmed that GUP can effectively inhibit the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Mechanistically, GUP blocked the activation of the inflammasome by significantly inhibiting the oligomerization and speckle aggregation of the apoptosis-related protein ASC. In addition, GUP effectively ameliorated LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice. Our findings indicate that the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) GUP has broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory effects and is a potential drug candidate for the treatment of inflammasome-related diseases.