The Protective Effect of Eupatilin against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Injury Involving 5-Lipoxygenase in Feline Esophageal Epithelial Cells

In this study, we focused to identify whether eupatilin (5,7-dihydroxy-3',4',6-trimethoxyflavone), an extract from Artemisia argyi folium, prevents H(2)O(2)-induced injury of cultured feline esophageal epithelial cells. Cell viability was measured by the conventional MTT reduction assay. Western blot analysis was performed to investigate the expression of 5-lipoxygenase by H(2)O(2) treatment in the absence and presence of inhibitors. When cells were exposed to 600 µM H(2)O(2) for 24 hours, cell viability was decreased to 40%. However, when cells were pretreated with 25~150 µM eupatilin for 12 hours, viability was significantly restored in a concentration-dependent manner. H(2)O(2)-treated cells were shown to express 5-lipoxygenase, whereas the cells pretreated with eupatilin exhibited reduction in the expression of 5-lipoxygenase. The H(2)O(2)-induced increase of 5-lipoxygenase expression was prevented by SB202190, SP600125, or NAC. We further demonstrated that the level of leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) was also reduced by eupatilin, SB202190, SP600125, NAC, or nordihydroguaiaretic acid (a lipoxygenase inhibitor) pretreatment. H(2)O(2) induced the activation of p38MAPK and JNK, this activation was inhibited by eupatilin. These results indicate that eupatilin may reduce H(2)O(2)-induced cytotoxicity, and 5-lipoxygenase expression and LTB(4) production by controlling the p38 MAPK and JNK signaling pathways through antioxidative action in feline esophageal epithelial cells.