The leaves of Rhamnus erythroxylon Pall. are widely used as tea substitutes in northwest China for their fragrant aroma, anti-irritability, and digestion-enhancing properties. Ombuin, a main flavonoid compound found in the leaves, exhibited notable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, its potential role in treating neuroinflammatory-related diseases remains unexplored. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the anti-neuroinflammatory effects of ombuin and to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. According to our findings, ombuin dramatically reduced the release of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), IL-1β, nitric oxide (NO), and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglia. Further analysis, including transcriptomics, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and cellular heat transfer assays, revealed that Src was a direct target of ombuin. Western blot analysis showed that ombuin effectively suppressed Src phosphorylation and inhibited the downstream expressions of p-PI3K p85, p-AKT1, p-IKKα/β, p-IκBα, and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). Meanwhile, the repression of Src significantly reversed the anti-neuroinflammatory activity of ombuin. Our results identified Src as a direct target of ombuin and implied that ombuin exerted an anti-neuroinflammatory effect by inhibiting Src phosphorylation and suppressing the activation of the PI3K-AKT and NF-κB pathways, which might provide an alternative therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases.
Keywords: BV-2; LPS; Src; neuroinflammation; ombuin.