The effect of Wogonoside on the expression of TGF-β1/Smad3 in Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia

Abstract

Screening active compounds from complex herbal extracts is an important part of the drug mechanism research. The present study describes the establishment and application of a sensitive, convenient and efficient method for screening active ingredients targeting pulmonary fibrosis factor TGF-β1 from Radix Scutellariae extracts based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors. Previous studies have proved that Qin bai qing fei pellet (Qin bai) can inhibit the expression of TGF-β1 in Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP). Radix Scutellariae is the main component of Qin bai. However, the mechanism of Radix Scutellariae inhibiting TGF-β1 expression remains unexplained. The study investigated the active compound in Radix Scutellariae which was bound with TGF-β1 by SPR and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS techonology. As a result, Radix Scutellariae extracts showed a good combination with the TGF-β1 in vitro. Wogonoside was identified as a bioactive ingredient by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. The affinity constant of Wogonoside to TGF-β1 was determined by SPR affinity analysis (KD=21.7 μm). Pharmacology assays revealed that Wogonoside strongly inhibited the expression of TGF-β1 and Smad3 in A549 cells infected by Mycoplasma pneumoniae(M.pneumoniae). Wogonoside prevented Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection by inhibiting the expression of TGF-β1, which might be one of the mechanisms for the anti-MPP properties of Qin bai. These results provided a foundation to further explore the mechanisms of Qin bai.

Keywords

• Wogonoside1
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia2
• TGF-β13
• Surface plasmon resonance4
• UPLC-Q-TOF-MS5