Oridonin alleviates d-GalN/LPS-induced acute liver injury by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome

Acute liver injury (ALI) is a serious syndrome that is associated with high mortality, but there are few effective treatments. The activation of NLRP3 inflammasome is associated with ALI. Oridonin is a natural substance with an anti-inflammatory effect and has been reported to be an inhibitor of NLRP3. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of oridonin on d-galactosamine (d-GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI and whether the effect is mediated by NLRP3. Mice were pretreated with oridonin (5 or 10 mg/kg) for 3 days. Then, they were injected with d-GalN (400 mg/kg) and LPS (40 μg/kg). The levels of inflammatory factors were measured by RT-PCR, Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We confirmed that oridonin significantly alleviated ALI induced by d-GalN/LPS in mice. Oridonin markedly decreased the inflammatory response by reducing the levels of inflammatory cytokines. More importantly, oridonin markedly reduced the expression of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-18, and IL-1β. This study showed that oridonin has a protective effect on d-GalN/LPS-induced ALI, and the underlying mechanisms may be associated with the inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammatory pathways.