Anti-Inflammatory Activity of the Total Flavonoid Fraction from Broussonetia papyrifera in Combination with Lonicera japonica

To establish the anti-inflammatory activity of the total flavonoid fraction of the root barks of Broussonetia papyrifera (EBP) and a new formula, the ethanol extract of the root barks of B. papyrifera was fractionated with ethylacetate, yielding the hydrophobic prenylated flavonoid-enriched fraction. EBP and the ethanol extract of the whole Lonicera japonica (ELJ) plant were then mixed at a ratio of 1:1 (w/w) to give a new preparation (BL) in the hope of obtaining an optimal formula with a higher anti-inflammatory activity. Evaluation of the effects of these preparations on A23187-treated rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-1) cells revealed that EBP potently inhibited 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), while ELJ showed weak inhibition. Additionally, the mixture (BL) clearly showed stronger inhibitory effects against 5-LOX than either preparation alone. These preparations also inhibited cyclooxygenase-2-catalyzed PGE₂ and inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase-catalyzed NO production by lipopolysaccharide-treated RAW 264.7 cells. When tested against arachidonic acid-induced mouse ear edema, EBP showed strong inhibitory activity at doses of 5-200 mg/kg when administered orally, but BL had obviously stronger inhibitory effects. When tested against λ -carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice, BL showed a potent and synergistic anti-inflammatory effect. In addition, in the acetic acid-induced writhing test, BL was found to have strong analgesic activity at 50-400 mg/kg. Taken together, these results indicate that each of these preparations exert anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo. In particular, BL showed stronger anti-inflammatory activity than EBP, and these anti-inflammatory effects were partially related to the inhibition of eicosanoid and NO production. BL may be useful for the treatment of human inflammatory disorders.