The anti-inflammatory effects of sanguinarine and its modulation of inflammatory mediators from peritoneal macrophages

The quaternary ammonium salt, sanguinarine (SANG), is of great practical and research interest because of its pronounced, widespread physiological effects, which promote anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory responses in experimental animals. Sanguinarine was originally shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties and it has been used to treat various inflammatory diseases. To gain insight into the anti-inflammatory effect of sanguinarine and its mechanisms of action, we used animal models of acute and chronic inflammation and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced murine peritoneal macrophages to examine the anti-inflammatory function of sanguinarine. Sanguinarine displayed significant anti-inflammatory effects both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings further demonstrated that sanguinarine potently inhibited the expression of inflammatory mediators and inflammation in general. Additionally, our results demonstrated that sanguinarine inhibited the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), which altered inflammatory mediator synthesis and release in vitro. This study extends our understanding of the anti-inflammatory activity of sanguinarine in acute and chronic inflammation. Furthermore, our findings provide clarification of the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory activity of sanguinarine, supporting the naturopathic use of sanguinarine for the treatment of various human inflammatory diseases. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.