Paeoniflorin alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation by inhibiting inflammation and coagulation activation

Abstract

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a toxic component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria that can activate the blood coagulation system, leading to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). DIC is a syndrome characterized by thromboembolism and multiple organ failure. Herein, the beneficial effect of paeoniflorin (PF) on the alleviation of LPS-induced DIC was investigated with an experimental DIC mouse model. Briefly, mice were randomly divided into the following six groups: (1) control; (2) LPS; (3) heparin; (4) low-PF treatment; (5) medium-PF treatment; and (6) high-PF treatment. The histological morphology of the liver and kidney was observed, and the coagulation indicators (such as prothrombin time), function indicators (such as alanine transferase), and inflammatory factors (such as TNF-α) were detected. Additionally, an in vitro cell inflammation model using RAW 264.7 murine macrophages was established. Activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were determined by western blotting. Based on our findings, PF could significantly improve the histological morphology of the liver and kidney, indicating that PF protects the liver and kidney against damage induced by LPS. Additionally, PF improved the function and coagulation indicators and reduced the production of inflammatory factors. In vitro, PF inhibited the expression of TNF-α by suppressing NF-κB signaling pathway activation. Collectively, our findings support the hypothesis that PF has anti-inflammatory and anticoagulation effects for the alleviation of LPS-induced DIC. PF is thus a potential co-treatment option for DIC.

Keywords: disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC); heparin; lipopolysaccharide (LPS); paeoniflorin (PF); tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α).