Ethnopharmacological relevance: Matrine (MT) is a main active ingredient of Sophora flavescens roots, which is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the treatment of inflammations like enteritis, hepatitis and atopic dermatitis.

Aims of the study: Aim of the study is to gain insight into the effects of MT on nitric oxide (NO) release, intracellular NO production, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) level in second generation rat intestinal microvascular endothelial cells (RIMECs). Moreover, the effects of MT on soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) production induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in these cells were evaluated.

Material and Methods: Isolated and identified RIMECs cultureswere exposed to different concentrations of matrine, and changes in extra- and intracellular NO concentrationswere measured in dependance of time by Griess reaction or DAF-FM diacetate. Obtained cell cultures were solitude treated with lypopolysaccharide (LPS) or combined with MT to observe impacts on sICAM-1, IL-6 and IL-8 concentration in culture supernatants by ELISA.

Results: Matrine dose-dependently increased the concentration of NO in culture supernatant of RIMECs. Exposure ofMT resulted in a steady intracellular NO increase pattern under different concentrations with different values and has an increasing effect on eNOS concentration at a long time exposure. Additionally, matrine reduced the increasing effect of LPS on the production of IL-6, IL-8, and sICAM-1 in RIMECs.

Conclusion: These results show that matrine may serve as a protective agent against tissue damage in inflammation by improving NO-dependent vasomotion and inhibiting inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS.