Stilbenoids are a group of polyphenolic compounds found in plants, trees, berries, and nuts. Stilbenoids have been shown to serve an antimicrobial and antifungal function in plants. There is also evidence that as a part of the human diet, stilbenoids play an important role as antioxidants and may have anti-inflammatory effects. The PI3K/Akt pathway is a well-characterized signaling pathway controlling cellular functions involved in growth and cell cycle and in metabolism. There is also increasing evidence to show the involvement of this pathway in the regulation of inflammatory responses. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of the naturally occurring stilbenoids pinosylvin (1), monomethylpinosylvin (2), resveratrol (3), pterostilbene (4), piceatannol (5), and rhapontigenin (6). Glycosylated derivatives of piceatannol and rhapontigenin, namely, astringin (7) and rhaponticin (8), respectively, were also investigated. In addition to the natural stilbenoids, pinosylvin derivatives (9-13) were synthesized and subjected to the testing of their effects on the PI3K/Akt pathway in inflammatory conditions. The investigated natural stilbenoids (except the glycosylated derivatives) were found to down-regulate Akt phosphorylation, which is a well-acknowledged marker for PI3K activity. It was also found that all of the studied natural stilbenoids had anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. The three most potent stilbenoids, piceatannol, pinosylvin, and pterostilbene, were selected for in vivo testing and were found to suppress inflammatory edema and to down-regulate the production of inflammatory mediators IL6 and MCP1 in carrageenan-induced paw inflammation in mice. When compared to the commercial PI3K inhibitor LY294002, the anti-inflammatory effects appeared to be quite similar. The results reveal hitherto unknown anti-inflammatory effects of natural stilbenoids and suggest that those effects may be mediated via inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

TRPA1 is a non-selective cation channel, most famously expressed in non-myelinated nociceptors.In addition to being an important chemical and mechanical pain sensor, TRPA1 has more recently appeared to have a role in inflammation as well. Triterpenoids are natural products with antiinflammatory and anti-cancer effects in experimental models. In this paper, thirteen novel triterpenoids were created by synthetically modifying betulin, an abundant triterpenoid of the genus Betula L. and their TRPA1-modulating features were examined. Fluo 3-AM protocol was used in the initial screening, in which six out of the fourteen tested triterpenoids inhibited TRPA1 in a statistically significant manner. In subsequent whole-cell patch clamp recordings, the two most effective compounds (pyrazine-fused triterpenoids 8 and 9) displayed a reversible and dose and voltage-dependent effect to block the TRPA1 ion channel at submicromolar concentrations. Interestingly, the TRPA1-blocking action was also evident in vivo, as compounds 8 and 9 both alleviated TRPA1-agonist induced acute paw inflammation in mice. The results introduce betulinderived pyrazine-fused triterpenoids as promising novel antagonists of TRPA1 that are potentially useful in treating diseases with a TRPA1-mediated adverse component.

Background Systemic sclerosis is a rheumatoid disease best known for its fibrotic skin manifestations called scleroderma. Alternatively activated (M2-type) macrophages are normally involved in the resolution of inflammation and wound healing but also in fibrosing diseases such as scleroderma. TRPA1 is a non-selective cation channel, activation of which causes pain and neurogenic inflammation. In the present study, we investigated the role of TRPA1 in bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis mimicking scleroderma. Methods Wild type and TRPA1-deficient mice were challenged with intradermal bleomycin injections to induce a scleroderma-mimicking disease. Macrophages were investigated in vitro to evaluate the underlying mechanisms. Results Bleomycin induced dermal thickening and collagen accumulation in wild type mice and that was significantly attenuated in TRPA1-deficient animals. Accordingly, the expression of collagens 1A1, 1A2, and 3A1 as well as pro-fibrotic factors TGF-beta, CTGF, fibronectin-1 and YKL-40, and M2 macrophage markers Arg1 and MRC1 were lower in TRPA1-deficient than wild type mice. Furthermore, bleomycin was discovered to significantly enhance M2-marker expression particularly in the presence of IL-4 in wild type macrophages in vitro, but not in macrophages harvested from TRPA1-deficient mice. IL-4-induced PPARγ-expression in macrophages was increased by bleomycin, providing a possible mechanism behind the phenomenon. Conclusions In conclusion, the results indicate that interfering TRPA1 attenuates fibrotic and inflammatory responses in bleomycin-induced scleroderma. Therefore, TRPA1-blocking treatment could potentially alleviate M2 macrophage driven diseases like systemic sclerosis and scleroderma.