To overcome the low oral bioavailability of morin, a mixed micelle formulation with pharmaceutical excipients that facilitate solubilization and modulate P-glycoprotein (P-gp) was developed and evaluated in vitro and in vivo rats. Morin-loaded mixed micelle formulation with a morin-PluronicF127-Tween80 ratio of 1 : 10 : 0.02 (w/w/w) was prepared by a thin-film hydration method. The solubility, size distribution, drug encapsulation efficiency, and percent drug loading of the formulation were characterized. Subsequently, in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters of morin loaded in a PluronicF127 and Tween80 mixed-micelle formulation were investigated in rats. Absolute bioavailability of morin was dramatically increased by the oral administration of morin-loaded PluronicF127 and Tween80 mixed micelle from 0.4% to 11.2% without changing the systemic clearance and half-life. In Caco-2 cells, absorption permeability of morin from the novel formulation was increased 3.6-fold compared with that of morin alone. P-gp inhibition by cyclosporine A (CsA) increased absorptive permeability of morin 2.4-fold but decreased the efflux of morin by 52%, which was consistent with increased plasma concentration of morin in the pretreatment of CsA in rats. The morin formulation inhibited P-gp transport activity by 83.1% at 100 µM as morin concentration. Moreover, morin formulation increased paracellular permeability of Lucifer yellow by 1.6-1.8 fold. In conclusion, enhanced oral bioavailability of morin from morin-loaded PluronicF127 and Tween80 mixed micelle formulation can be attributed to increased intestinal permeation of morin, which was mediated at least by P-gp inhibition and enhanced paracellular route.

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Methyl p-hydroxycinnamate (MH), an esterified derivative of p-coumaric acid exerts anti-inflammatory effects on lipopolysaccharide (lPS)-stimulated raW264.7 macrophages. Based on these effects, the present study investigated the protective role of MH in a mouse model of lPS-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ardS). The results demonstrated that administration of lPS (5 mg/kg intranasally) markedly increased the neutrophil/macrophage numbers and levels of inflammatory molecules (TNF-α, il-6, il-1β and reactive oxygen species) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice. On histological examination, the presence of inflammatory cells was observed in the lungs of mice administered lPS. lPS also notably upregulated the secretion of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and protein content in BALF as well as expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the lungs of mice; it also caused activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-κB signaling. However, MH treatment significantly suppressed LPS-induced upregulation of inflammatory cell recruitment, inflammatory molecule levels and p38MAPK/NF-κB activation, and also led to upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 (Ho-1) expression in the lungs of mice. in addition, the ability of MH to induce HO-1 expression was confirmed in RAW264.7 macrophages. Taken together, the findings of the present study indicated that MH may exert protective effects against airway inflammation in ARDS mice by inhibiting inflammatory cell recruitment and the production of inflammatory molecules.

Lagerstroemia ovalifoliaTeijsm. & Binn. (LO) (crape myrtle) has reportedly been used as traditional herbal medicine (THM) in Java, Indonesia. Our previous study revealed that the LO leaf extract (LOLE) exerted anti-inflammatory effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Based on this finding, the current study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of LOLE in a mouse model of LPS-induced acute lung injury (ALI). The results showed that treatment with LPS enhanced the inflammatory cell influx into the lungs and increased the number of macrophages and the secretion of the inflammatory cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice. However, these effects were notably abrogated with LOLE pretreatment. Furthermore, the increase of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) expression in the lung tissues of mice with ALI was also reversed by LOLE. In addition, LOLE significantly suppressed the LPS-induced activation of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway and led to heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) induction in the lungs. Additionally, in vitro experiments showed that LOLE enhanced the expression of HO-1 in RAW264.7 macrophages. The aforementioned findings collectively indicate that LOLE exerts an ameliorative effect on inflammatory response in the airway of ALI mice.

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