The ethanolic extract of Artemisia anomala exerts anti-inflammatory effects via inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome

Artemisia anomala S. Moore (Compositae), known as “Nan-Liu-Ji-Nu” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), has been used to treat many inflammatory diseases, including enteritis, acute icteric hepatitis, rheumatism, toothache, tonsillitis, and chronic bronchitis, for centuries. Our preliminary studies have demonstrated that the ethanolic extract of A. anomala (EAA) might be with the potential of inhibiting the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. However, the anti-inflammatory activity of EAA based on NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition is still unclear. This work aimed to elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of EAA by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-primed bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) were used to evaluate the inhibitory effects on NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The level of IL-1β was determined by ELISA. The expression levels of IL-1β, caspase-1, NLRP3, and ASC were assayed using western blot analysis. ASC oligomerization and speck formation were detected by immunofluorescence microscopy. The measurements of intracellular chloride and potassium were conducted using N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinolinium bromide (MQAE) probe assay and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), respectively. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) were examined using the MitoSOX method. Acridine orange (AO) staining was used to detect the permeability of the lysosomal membrane. A DSS-induced ulcerative colitis model was established to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of EAA in vivo. Finally, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to identify and quantify the major constituents of EAA. In BMDMs, EAA significantly inhibited the release of IL-1β induced by LPS. The mechanistic study revealed that EAA inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation by blocking the oligomerization of ASC and suppressed the LPS-induced priming step. Furthermore, EAA protected lysosomes by inhibiting the TAK1-JNK pathway, thereby inhibiting the assembly of downstream NLRP3 inflammasome and the production of IL-1β. In addition, EAA exerted potent protective effects in an ulcerative colitis model by decreasing the content of colonic IL-1β and alleviating the process of ulcerative colitis. HPLC analysis identified eight main components of EAA, including isofraxidin (1), quercetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), 7-methoxycoumarin (4), quercetin (5), luteolin (6), kaem