Anti-inflammatory activities of oleanolic acid on HMGB1 activated HUVECs

As a late mediator of inflammation, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein up-regulates pro-inflammatory cytokines in several inflammatory diseases. Further, high plasma levels of HMGB1 correlate with poor prognosis and increased mortality in patients with severe inflammation. Oleanolic acid (OA), a triterpenoid known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, is commonly present in several medicinal plants but the effects of OA on HMGB1-mediated pro-inflammatory responses of human endothelial cells is not well-studied. In this study, we investigated this question by monitoring the effect of OA on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated release of HMGB1 and the HMGB1-mediated modulation of inflammatory responses in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). OA potently inhibited the release of HMGB1 by HUVECs as well as down-regulated HMGB1-dependent adhesion and migration of the monocytic cell line THP-1 to activated HUVECs. OA also down-regulated the cell surface expression of the receptor of HMGB1, thereby inhibiting HMGB1-dependent pro-inflammatory responses by inhibiting activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) by HMGB1. Given these results, OA showed anti-inflammatory activities and could be a candidate as a therapeutic agent for various inflammatory diseases through the inhibition of the HMGB1 signaling pathway.