The protective effect of berberine on propionibacterium acnes-induced inflammatory response in human monocytes

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of berberine using human monocytes. Infection of Propionibacterium acnes induced the production of nitric oxide (NO) and the pro-inflammatory cytokines such as, TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-1β in THP-1 monocytic cells. However, when berberine was supplemented in these P. acnes-induced THP-1 cells, the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and NO was significantly reduced. We also analyzed signaling pathways of the anti-inflammatory function of berberine and found that berberine suppressed the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK and p38 and the expression and nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in the P. acnes-induced cells. From these results, we concluded that berberine can effectively exert the anti-inflammatory activity via suppressing the NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases signaling pathways in human monocytes. Moreover, these results suggest the feasibility of developing natural therapeutics using berberine for the treatment of P. acnes-induced inflammatory diseases.