Antioxidant Polyphenols from <i>Lespedeza bicolor</i> Turcz. Honey: Anti-Inflammatory Effects on Lipopolysaccharide-Treated RAW 264.7 Macrophages
Caijun Ren,
Qiangqiang Li,
Teng Luo,
Mirko Betti,
Miao Wang,
Suzhen Qi,
Liming Wu,
Liuwei Zhao
Affiliations
Caijun Ren
State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Qiangqiang Li
State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Teng Luo
Institute of NBC Defence, Beijing 102205, China
Mirko Betti
Department of Agricultural Food and Nutritional Science, Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P5, Canada
Miao Wang
State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Suzhen Qi
State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Liming Wu
Risk Assessment Laboratory for Bee Products Quality and Safety of Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing 100093, China
Liuwei Zhao
State Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Although the honey produced by Lespedeza bicolor Turcz. is precious because of its medicinal value, its pharmacological mechanism is still unclear. Here, its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant functions on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated murine RAW 264.7 macrophages were analyzed using targeted and non-targeted metabolomics. Results showed that twelve polyphenols were identified in L. bicolor honey using UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS. L. bicolor honey extract could scavenge the free radicals DPPH• and ABTS+ and reduce Fe3+. Furthermore, pretreatment with L. bicolor honey extract significantly decreased NO production; suppressed the expression of COX-2, IL-10, TNF-α, and iNOS; and upregulated HO-1′s expression in the cells with LPS application. UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS-based metabolomics results revealed that L. bicolor honey extract could protect against inflammatory damage caused by LPS through the reduced activation of sphingolipid metabolism and necroptosis pathways. These findings demonstrate that L. bicolor honey possesses excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
