Whole hydro‐ethanolic Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench attenuates lipopolysaccharide‐induced inflammation in the uterine cervix of mice via the heme‐oxygenase‐1 pathway

Abstract

Because current treatments for preterm labor are either unsafe or ineffective and bacteria‐induced preterm labor is the leading cause of premature birth, here, we sought to test whether use of a natural product with anti‐bacterial and ‐inflammatory activities and a long history of safe use, namely Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench (whole hydro‐ethanolic), could be used to attenuate bacteria‐ (lipopolyssacharide, LPS)‐induced inflammation in the mice uterine cervix. We initially optimized routes and dosages of the extract, and then deciphered the likely underlying mechanism by treating animals with either vehicle only, or a combination of whole hydro‐ethanolic root extract, LPS, and/or heme‐oxygenase 1 (HO‐1) inhibitor, dose‐dependently. Tissues were then harvested and evaluated using real time‐PCR, Western blot, histology and confocal immunofluorescence. Our data show that the extract promotes expression of HO‐1 mRNA and HO‐1 inhibitor blocked the protective effects of the extract in animals treated with LPS, dose‐dependently. We conclude from these findings that Echinacea could potentially be used to modulate inflammation‐induced preterm labor and that HO‐1 may mediate the anti‐inflammatory activities of E. purpurea in the uterine cervix. Funding: Office of Students Research, Appalachian State University.