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Article

Quercetin and AMPK: A Dynamic Duo in Alleviating MG-Induced Inflammation via the AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB Pathway

1
School of Life Science, Liaoning University, Chongshanzhong-Lu No. 66, Shenyang 110036, China
2
College of Computer Science, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang 438000, China
3
Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Shenyang Medical College, Shenyang 110034, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Molecules 2023, 28(21), 7388; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28217388
Submission received: 2 September 2023 / Revised: 7 October 2023 / Accepted: 13 October 2023 / Published: 2 November 2023

Abstract

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is recognized as a principal causative agent of avian chronic respiratory disease, inflicting substantial economic losses upon the poultry industry. However, the extensive use of conventional antibiotics has resulted in the emergence of drug resistance and various challenges in their clinical application. Consequently, there is an urgent need to identify effective therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of mycoplasma-induced respiratory disease in avian species. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) holds significant importance as a regulator of cellular energy metabolism and possesses the capacity to exert an anti-inflammatory effect by virtue of its downstream protein, SIRT1. This pathway has shown promise in counteracting the inflammatory responses triggered by pathogenic infections, thus providing a novel target for studying infectious inflammation. Quercetin possesses anti-inflammatory activity and has garnered attention as a potential alternative to antibiotics. However, there exists a gap in knowledge concerning the impact of this activation on MG-induced inflammatory damage. To address this knowledge gap, we employed AlphaFold2 prediction, molecular docking, and kinetic simulation methods to perform a systematic analysis. As expected, we found that both quercetin and the AMPK activator AICAR activate the chicken AMPKγ1 subunit in a similar manner, which was further validated at the cellular level. Our project aims to unravel the underlying mechanisms of quercetin’s action as an agonist of AMPK against the inflammatory damage induced by MG infection. Accordingly, we evaluated the effects of quercetin on the prevention and treatment of air sac injury, lung morphology, immunohistochemistry, AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB pathway activity, and inflammatory factors in MG-infected chickens. The results confirmed that quercetin effectively inhibits the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, leading to improved respiratory inflammation injury. Furthermore, quercetin was shown to enhance the levels of phosphorylated AMPK and SIRT1 while reducing the levels of phosphorylated P65 and pro-inflammatory factors. In conclusion, our study identifies the AMPK cascade signaling pathway as a novel cellular mediator responsible for quercetin’s ability to counter MG-induced inflammatory damage. This finding highlights the potential significance of this pathway as an important target for anti-inflammatory drug research in the context of avian respiratory diseases.
Keywords: Mycoplasma gallisepticum; quercetin; AMPK; inflammation; activator Mycoplasma gallisepticum; quercetin; AMPK; inflammation; activator

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MDPI and ACS Style

Lu, Z.; Wang, H.; Ishfaq, M.; Han, Y.; Zhang, X.; Li, X.; Wang, B.; Lu, X.; Gao, B. Quercetin and AMPK: A Dynamic Duo in Alleviating MG-Induced Inflammation via the AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB Pathway. Molecules 2023, 28, 7388. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28217388

AMA Style

Lu Z, Wang H, Ishfaq M, Han Y, Zhang X, Li X, Wang B, Lu X, Gao B. Quercetin and AMPK: A Dynamic Duo in Alleviating MG-Induced Inflammation via the AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB Pathway. Molecules. 2023; 28(21):7388. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28217388

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lu, Ziyin, Haozhen Wang, Muhammad Ishfaq, Yufang Han, Xiujin Zhang, Xiang Li, Baoqi Wang, Xiuli Lu, and Bing Gao. 2023. "Quercetin and AMPK: A Dynamic Duo in Alleviating MG-Induced Inflammation via the AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB Pathway" Molecules 28, no. 21: 7388. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28217388

APA Style

Lu, Z., Wang, H., Ishfaq, M., Han, Y., Zhang, X., Li, X., Wang, B., Lu, X., & Gao, B. (2023). Quercetin and AMPK: A Dynamic Duo in Alleviating MG-Induced Inflammation via the AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB Pathway. Molecules, 28(21), 7388. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28217388

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