Ephedra-Cinnamomi Attenuates Cerebral Ischemia-Induced Neuroinflammation Via Tlr4/Nf-Kappa B Pathway

Ephedra-cinnamomi, composed of ephedra (stems of Ephedra sinica) and cinnamomi (twig of Cinnamomum cassia), can attenuate the symptoms of colds by inducing sweat and relieving cough, asthma, headache, and arthralgia. The study was aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of the prescription of ephedra-cinnamomi on the cerebral ischemia-induced neuroinflammation. Ephedra-cinnamomi down-regulating the inflammatory mediators including Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), Interleukins (IL) IL-6. Moreover, Ephedra-cinnamomi significantly induced reduction of TLR4 and NF-kappa B mRNA level, consistent with the RT-qPCR results, Ephedra-cinnamomi decreased TLR4 expression and phosphorylated NF-kappa B p65 in concentration-dependent manners. The results revealed that Ephedra-cinnamomi may effectively inhibit ischemia-induced neuroinflammation through TLR4/NF-kappa B pathway. We have provided evidence indicating that Ephedra-cinnamomi induces suppression of inflammatory mediators and possesses therapeutic effect on neuroinflammation.