Scopoletin: A Validated Protector against Cerulein-induced Acute Pancreatitis & Associated Lung Injury by Regulating PPAR- γ "A Multidimensional Approach"

Our previous study established the effectiveness of scopoletin (SC) in protecting mice against acute pancreatitis (AP) induced by cerulein and subsequent pulmonary injury. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying SC protective effects have yet to be elucidated. This research suggests that SC reduces the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) by activating the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) in mice suffering from AP. We observed the protective role of SC against the male Swiss mice with hourly intraperitoneal injections of cerulein (50 µg/kg) for six hours, followed by the administration of SC (10 mg/kg) one hour after AP induction, with or without the PPAR-γ antagonist GW9662 (0.3 mg/kg). The study exploration into the anti-inflammatory effects of SC revealed that a concentration of 25 µM enhanced the phagocytic clearance of dying pancreatic acinar cells by triggering the PPAR-γ signaling activation. Conversely, an in vitro assessment confirmed the presence of GW9662 counteracted the beneficial impact of SC on acinar cells. Molecular docking and simulation studies have shown that SC prompts significant structural changes in PPAR-γ. The in vivo, in vitro, and in silico analyses suggest that SC has potent anti-inflammatory properties that may be mediated by the activation of PPAR-γ signaling in cerulein-induced experimental pancreatitis.