Punicalagin Alleviates Psoriasis by Inhibiting NF-κB-Mediated IL-1β Transcription and Caspase-1-Regulated IL-1β Secretion

摘要

Psoriasis is a chronic and inflammatory skin disorder characterized by inflammation and epidermal hyperplasia. Punicalagin (PUN) is a main active ingredient of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel with multiple biological activities, such as antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-tumor effects. However, the potential effect of PUN on psoriasis remains unknown. In this study, we want to investigate the pharmacological effect of PUN on psoriasis by using imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriatic mice model in vivo and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-17A (IL-17A)-stimulated HaCaT cells in vitro. Our results showed that PUN can effectively alleviate the severity of psoriasis-like symptoms. Mechanistically, PUN potently suppresses the aberrant upregulation of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and subsequent IL-1 beta-mediated inflammatory cascade in keratinocytes by inhibiting the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) activation and cleaved caspase-1 expression in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our findings indicate that PUN can relieve psoriasis by repressing NF-kappa B-mediated IL-1 beta transcription and caspase-1-regulated IL-1 beta secretion, which provide evidence that PUN might represent a novel and promising candidate for the treatment of psoriasis.

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