Piperine, one of the active components of black pepper, has been reported to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the effects of piperine on lipolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) have not been reported. Thus, the protective effects of piperine against LPS-induced ALI were investigated in this study. LPS-induced lung injury was assessed by histological study, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and inflammatory cytokine production. Our results demonstrated that piperine attenuated LPS-induced MPO activity, lung edema, and inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β production. Histological studies showed that piperine obviously attenuated LPS-induced lung injury. In addition, piperine significantly inhibited LPS-induced NF-κB activation. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that piperine had a protective effect on LPS-induced ALI. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of piperine is through inhibition of NF-κB activation. Piperine may be a potential therapeutic agent for ALI.
Keywords: LPS; NF-κB; acute lung injury; piperine.