Effect of Corynoline Isolated from Corydalis bungeana Turcz on Lipopolysaccharides-Induced Sepsis In vivo and In vitro

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of corynoline isolated from Corydalis bungeana Turcz on lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced sepsis, and determine the possible mechanism of anti-sepsis effect of the isolated corynoline. Methods: Corynoline was extracted by column chromatography. LPS (100 ng/mL) was used to induce the release of TNF-α and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 cells, and the isolated corynoline was added. ELISA method was used to determine the levels of TNF-α and IL- 6. Furthermore, sepsis in mice was established by injection of LPS (2 mg/kg, i.v.), and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in plasma were determined by ELISA method. For survival rate test, LPS (15 mg/kg, i.v.) and heat-killed E. coli (1.0 ×10^11 CFU/kg, i.v.) were used to establish sepsis in mice model, and the mice were observed in 7 days. Results: The results indicate that corynoline significantly elevated the survival rate of septic mice induced by LPS and heat-killed E. coli, in a dose-dependent manner (p 0.05). Corynoline decreased the release of TNF-α and IL-6 induced by LPS, in a dose-dependent manner (p 0.05). Conclusion: Treatment with corynoline significantly inhibits the mortality of LPS-induced septic mice, and the mechanism of action is probably related to the decrease of TNF-α and IL-6 release. Thus corynoline has the potential to be developed as an effective and safe drug for treating sepsis.