TY - JOUR T1 - Berberine Hydrochloride Prevents Postsurgery Intestinal Adhesion and Inflammation in Rats JF - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther SP - 417 LP - 426 DO - 10.1124/jpet.114.212795 VL - 349 IS - 3 AU - Yong Zhang AU - Xiaoguang Li AU - Qingwei Zhang AU - Jiamin Li AU - Jiaming Ju AU - Ning Du AU - Xin Liu AU - Xiaohui Chen AU - Feiran Cheng AU - Lei Yang AU - Chaoqian Xu AU - Muhammad U. Bilal AU - Yunwei Wei AU - Yanjie Lu AU - Baofeng Yang Y1 - 2014/06/01 UR - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/349/3/417.abstract N2 - Intestinal adhesion, characterized by connection of the loops of the intestine with other abdominal organs by fibrous tissue bands, remains an inevitable event of abdominal operations and can cause a number of complications. Berberine hydrochloride (berberine), a natural plant alkaloid derived from Chinese herbal medicine, is characterized by diverse pharmacological effects, such as anticancer and lower elevated blood glucose. This study is designed to investigate the effects of berberine on adhesion and inflammation after abdominal surgeries and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Adhesion severity grades and collagen deposition were assessed 14 days after surgery. We evaluated the levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and examined transforming growth factor–activated kinase 1 (TAK1)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and TAK1/nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling. The surgery group experienced the most severe adhesions, and berberine strikingly reduced the density and severity of adhesion. Results showed significant lower expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TGF-β, TNF-α, and ICAM-1, in berberine groups compared with the operation group. Activities of phosphorylated JNK and phosphorylated NF-κB were inhibited in the berberine groups compared with the surgery group. Our novel findings identified berberine hydrochloride as a promising strategy to prevent adhesion by downregulating ICAM-1 and reduce inflammation by inhibiting the TAK1/JNK and TAK1/NF-κB signaling after abdominal surgery, which brought out a good therapeutic approach for the development of clinical application for postoperative abdominal adhesion and inflammation. ER -