Anti-inflammatory and proresolution activities of bergapten isolated from the roots of Ficus hirta in an in vivo zebrafish model

Bergapten (5-methoxypsoralen), a coumarin-derivate compound isolated from Ficus hirta roots, was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory and proresolution activities in a tail-cutting-induced zebrafish larvae model. Bergapten was evaluated using a caudal fin-wounded transgenic zebrafish line “Tg(corola: eGFP)” to visualize the effects of the recruitment and clearance of neutrophils and macrophages at the injury site. We found that bergapten significantly suppressed the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages toward the injury site, as well as promoted the clearance of neutrophils and macrophages from the wound site. We also investigated the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) level of bergapten in a tail-cutting-induced inflammation zebrafish model. The Results revealed that bergapten effectively inhibited the tail-cutting-induced production of ROS and NO in zebrafish larvae. This study reported for the first time the potential anti-inflammatory and proresolution activities of bergapten in an in vivo zebrafish model, suggesting that bergapten may be a potential candidate for inflammation therapy. Bergapten, which is a coumarin isolated from the roots of Ficus hirta, expressed anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages toward the injury site. Bergapten accelerated the inflammation resolution by promoting the clearance of neutrophils and macrophages from the wound site in the fluorescent-protein-labeled zebrafish larvae “Tg(corola: eGFP)” model. In addition, bergapten might also exhibit an anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting ROS and NO accumulation in the tail-cutting-induced inflammation zebrafish model. This combined anti-inflammatory and proresolution activities suggest that bergapten may be particularly valuable for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. [Display omitted] •Bergapten significantly suppressed the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages toward the injury site in the zebrafish.•Bergapten promoted the clearance of neutrophils and macrophages from the wound site in the zebrafish.•Bergapten exhibited strongly inhibited the release of ROS and NO in the tail-cutting-induced inflammatory zebrafish model.