The natural compound Notopterol targets JAK2/3 to ameliorate macrophage-induced inflammation and arthritis

Abstract

Abstract:Notopterol (NOT) is one of the main constituents of the traditional Chinese medicinal herbNotopterygium incisum Ting ex H.T. Changhas anti-rheumatism activity, but the target of NOT remains unknown. Here we have demonstrated that orally or intraperitoneal administration of NOT exhibits significant therapeutic effects on the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model in both DBA/1J and C57/BL6 mice. NOT treatmentin vivoandin vitroreduces production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in TNFα- or LPS/IFNγ-stimulated macrophages via blocking the JAK2/3-STAT3/5 activation. Mechanistically, NOT directly binds JAK2 to inhibit its activity via Arg980, Asn981, and Leu932 in the JH1 domain. Importantly, expression of the L938A/R980A/N981A mutant in zebrafish significantly inhibited thein vivoinflammatory response after LPS injection, which showed no further inhibitory effect upon NOT treatment. Combination of NOT and an anti-TNFα antibodies could achieve a better therapeutic effect than anti-TNFα alone in the CIA model. We therefore suggest that as a specific JAK2/3 inhibitor, the natural compound NOT ameliorates pathology of RA, which might be useful to treat other JAK2/3-related diseases.