Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jul-Aug;33(4):1133-1141.
doi: 10.21873/invivo.11583.

Apigenin Exerts Anti-inflammatory Effects in an Experimental Model of Acute Pancreatitis by Down-regulating TNF-α

Alexandros Charalabopoulos  1   2 , Spyridon Davakis  3   4 , Maria Lambropoulou  5 , Apostolos Papalois  2 , Constantinos Simopoulos  6 , Alexandra Tsaroucha  6
Affiliations

Apigenin Exerts Anti-inflammatory Effects in an Experimental Model of Acute Pancreatitis by Down-regulating TNF-α

Alexandros Charalabopoulos et al. In Vivo. 2019 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Background/aim: This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of apigenin in an experimental model of acute pancreatitis. Inflammatory response was reflected by tissue expression of the cytokine TNF-α coupled with histological examination.

Materials and methods: Wistar rats were divided into three groups: Sham-group animals underwent laparotomy only, without any other interventions. Control-group animals underwent laparotomy and bilio-pancreatic duct ligation to induce pancreatitis without apigenin administration. Apigenin group animals were further treated with apigenin. Euthanasia was performed at 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h post-operatively.

Results: Over-expression of TNF-α in relation to postoperative time was observed in the control group (p<0.001). In the apigenin group, under-expression of TNF-α in relation to postoperative time was observed (p<0.013). At 72 h, apigenin reduced pancreatic TNF-α expression and prevented pancreatic necrosis.

Conclusion: Apigenin slows progression and reduces severity of acute pancreatitis. Apigenin may serve as an adjunct to a more successful therapeutic strategy in acute pancreatitis.

Keywords: Apigenin; TNF-α; acute pancreatitis; biliopancreatic duct ligation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The Authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this study.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Characteristic Hematoxylin & Eosin stained sections of the pancreas of rats with acute pancreatitis. A: Absence-(0) of lesions. Hemorrhage score 0. Duct dilatation score 0. Edema score 0. Acinar necrosis score 0. Inflammatory infiltration score 0. (×100). B: Mild-(1) degree lesions. Hemorrhage score 1. Duct dilatation score 1. Edema score 1. Acinar necrosis score 1. (×100). C: Moderate-(2) degree lesions. Duct dilatation score 2. (×100). D: Severe-(3) degree lesions. Inflammatory infiltration score 3. (×100).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Characteristic sections of the pancreas of rats with acute pancreatitis immunocytochemically stained with biotin-streptavidin technique for evaluation of TNF-α expression. The TNF-α/antibody complex is stained brown. A: Mild (+) TNF-α expression. (×200). B: Moderate (++) TNF-α expression. (×200). C: Intense (+++) TNF-α expression. (×200).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Intensity of TNF-α expression [mild (+), moderate (+), intense (+)] given as percentage for the three different groups (sham, control, apigenin) and each subgroup based on postoperative time. AP Controls=Control group (Acute Pancreatitis); AP+Apigenin=Apigenin group (Acute Pancreatitis+Apigenin).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Shankar E, Goel A, Gupta K, Gupta S. Plant flavone apigenin: An emerging anticancer agent. Curr Pharmacol Rep. 2017;3(6):423–446. PMID: 29399439. DOI: 10.1007/s40495-017-0113-2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aggarwal BB, Vijayalekshmi RV, Sung B. Targeting inflammatory pathways for prevention and therapy of cancer: short-term friend, long-term foe. Clin Cancer Res. 2009;15:425–430. PMID: 19147746. DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-0149. - PubMed
    1. Woo ER, Pokharel YR, Yang JW, Lee SY, Kang KW. Inhibition of nuclear factor-kappa B activation by 2’,8’’-bi apigenin. Biol Pharm Bull. 2006;29:976–980. PMID: 16651730. - PubMed
    1. Kowalski J, Samojedny A, Paul M, Pietsz G, Wilczok T. Effect of apigenin, kaempferol and resveratrol on the expression of interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha genesin J774.2 macrophages. Pharmacol Rep. 2005;57:390–394. PMID: 15985724. - PubMed
    1. Xu C, Shen G, Chen C, Gelinas C, Kong AN. Suppression of NF-kappa B and NF-kappa B-regulated gene expression by sulforaphane and PEITC through I kappa B alpha, IKK pathway in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Oncogene. 2005;24:4486–4495. PMID: 15856023. DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1208656. - PubMed