Anti‐inflammatory and anti‐arthritic properties of naringenin via attenuation of NF‐κB and activation of the heme oxygenase ﴾HO﴿‐1/related factor 2 pathway

Background naringenin,a bioflavonoid present in various species of citrus fruit,tomatoes and grapes,has been shown to have various pharmacological effects. we evaluated the anti-arthritic potential of naringenin in formaldehyde-induced inflammation and complete freund's adjuvant (cfa)-induced arthritis. methods for both evaluations,rats were divided into groups of six. different doses of naringenin (5,10 and 20 mg/kg) were used in the models. body weight and the arthritic index were assessed. biochemical and antioxidant parameters were determined. naringenin dose-dependently reduced joint inflammation,decreasing the joint diameter and inflammatory cell infiltration. results naringenin-treated rats showed an improvement in the synovium redox status (down-regulation of malondialdehyde and glutathione and up-regulation of catalase (cat) and superoxide dismutase levels). naringenin significantly reduced the level of the inflammatory marker tnf-α. naringenin increased nrf-2/ho-1 and reduced nf-κb mrna levels in cfa-treated animal joints. additionally,naringenin treatment decreased the expression of extracellular matrix degrading enzymes,such as matrix metalloproteinase (mmp-3 and mmp-9),in cfa-induced arthritic rats. conclusions we conclude that naringenin exerts anti-arthritic effects by downregulating nf-κb and activating the nrf-2/ho-1 pathway. © 2017 institute of pharmacology,polish academy of sciences