investigating the effect of luteolin on interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α in inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide in male rats

Background: consumption of herbal flavonoids instead of chemical drugs has increased in the recent years due to fewer side effects as well as affordability. objectives: in this study, the effect of luteolin was investigated on inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide in male rat’s serum by measurement of the proinflammatory factors of il-1β and tnf-α. methods: overall, 90 male wistar rats weighing 180 to 200 grams were chosen and divided to control, sham (solvent) and positive control (dexamethasone 15 mg/kg. ip) groups, and also three experimental groups received doses of 5, 15, and 30 mg/kg of luteolin, intraperitoneally. half an hour after injecting one of these compounds, lipopolysaccharide (30 µg/kg. ip) was injected. then, at 4-, 12-, and 24-hour intervals, rats were anesthetized and blood samples were taken. serum of samples were separated by centrifuging, and then, the samples were transferred to micro-tubes and were stored at -80°c. measurement of interleukin (il)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (tnf)-α was conducted by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) method. data were analyzed using the spss software, version 19. results: pre-injection with luteolin in 30 mg/kg dose caused a reduction in il-1β at 4 (p < 0.05) and 24 hours (p < 0.01) after the lps injection compared to the control group. also, luteolin significantly decreased tnf-α level at 12 hours (5 and 30 mg/kg; p < 0.05, 0.01, respectively) and 24 hours (15 and 30 mg/kg; p < 0.05, 0.01, respectively) intervals after lps injection. furthermore, il-1β and tnf-α were significantly decreased by dexamethasone injection at all three time intervals compared with the control. conclusions: luteolin caused a significant reduction in il-1β and tnf-α of serum in acute inflammation induction. this impact is close to the dexamethasone effect as an anti-inflammatory steroid drug.