Naringenin (Nar) is a flavanone that has been suggested to provide human health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. However, the mechanisms underlying these benefits are complex and still not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of Nar on the inflammatory response of macrophages and its underlying mechanism. In lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human macrophages, Nar inhibited the activation of NF-κB pathway and suppressed the downstream expression of pro-inflammatory factors. In addition, Nar was also able to induce metallothionein 1 G (MT1G) expression, and the inhibitory effects of Nar on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines was dependent on MT1G. Mechanistically, we found that MT1G-mediated inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines responses might be through repressing NF-κB activation via zinc chelation. Overall, this study reveals a novel mechanism of Nar on inflammatory responses, the suppression of NF-κB activation through upregulation of MT1G.

柚皮素 (Nar) 是一种黄烷酮，已被建议提供人类健康益处，例如抗炎、抗氧化和抗癌特性。然而，这些好处背后的机制是复杂的，仍然没有被完全理解。在这项研究中，我们研究了 Nar 对巨噬细胞炎症反应的影响及其潜在机制。在脂多糖 (LPS) 刺激的人类巨噬细胞中，Nar 抑制 NF-κB 通路的激活并抑制下游促炎因子的表达。此外，Nar 还能够诱导金属硫蛋白 1 G (MT1G) 表达，并且 Nar 对促炎细胞因子产生的抑制作用依赖于 MT1G。从机制上讲，通过锌螯合。总的来说，这项研究揭示了 Nar 对炎症反应的一种新机制，即通过上调 MT1G 来抑制 NF-κB 活化。