Purpose: Sepsis is a life-threatening clinical syndrome and characterized by an inflammatory and innate immune response to infections. The current study was aimed to evaluate the anti-sepsis effect of 7-α-Obacunyl acetate (7-OBA), the abundant constituent isolated from Toona sinensis  (Meliaceae), in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced mice and to investigate the related molecular mechanisms.
Methods: The CLP operation was performed to establish the sepsis mice model, and the survival rate and temperature were measured after 7-OBA treatment (7.5, 15, and 30 mg/kg; i.p.). Inflammatory cytokines levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 were detected by ELISA kits, and the kidney, liver, and heart function were measured using an automatic biochemistry analyzer. Effects of 7-OBA on NF-κB and JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathways were determined by Western blot analysis in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated RAW264.7 cells model.
Results: 7-OBA treatment significantly increased the survival rate (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01) and normalized temperature (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01) of sepsis mice. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in serum were obviously decreased, whereas the anti-inflammatory cytokines of IL-10 were increased. CLP-induced increases of the main markers of kidney, liver, and heart function in mice (p < 0.01) were also obviously reversed by 7-OBA. The anti-sepsis effect of 7-OBA might be associated with regulation of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) and Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signal pathways.
Conclusion: Our investigation indicated that 7-OBA can be developed as an effective agent for treating/curing sepsis in the future.
Keywords: 7-α-obacunyl acetate, Toona sinensis , sepsis, cecal ligation/puncture, JAK-STAT/NF-κB