Novel prospectives of Paeonia lactiflora root extract as a natural modulator of LPS-induced inflammation and collagen I synthesis in skin and oral gingival cells

Background Paeonia lactiflora Pall. ( P. lactiflora ) has long been used in traditional medicine for pain relief. Paeoniflorin as the main glucoside of P. lactiflora root extract could determine its pharmacological effects. Thus, the research was aimed at investigation of P. lactiflora root extract as a natural modulator of LPS-induced inflammation and I type collagen synthesis in skin and oral gingival cells. Methods The study was conducted using Paeonia lactiflora root extract standardized for paeoniflorin by HPLC-UV method. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) were chosen as the main targets for paeoniflorin in the P. lactiflora extract in silico . Maximum tolerated concentration was evaluated on keratinocytes as 0.5 mg/mL through MTT assay. In vitro study was conducted to determine the effects of P. lactiflora extract on LPS-induced inflammation and tissue destruction markers in skin keratinocytes, dermal and gingival fibroblasts using ELISA. Results Firstly, the standardized extract at concentrations of 0.03 mg/mL, 0.1 mg/mL and 0.5 mg/mL reduced TRPV1 amount in skin keratinocytes by 38.06%, 52.24% and 67.05% (P < 0.001). Secondly, it was demonstrated that the extract at concentration of 0.5 mg/mL eliminated inflammatory stress induced by LPS reducing the production of TNF-α and production of IL-6 and IL-13 up to 25% (P < 0.01) and 55% (P < 0.001). Moreover, the extract demonstrated a protective effect on tissues destruction by reducing MMP-9 production by 70.27% in dermal fibroblasts and MMP-8 production by 39.32% in gingival fibroblasts. Conclusion and discussion The study underscores the beneficial contribution of P. lactiflora extract on LPS-induced inflammation in skin and oral gingival cells. Specifically, P. lactiflora extract containing paeoniflorin is a promising natural modulator of inflammation, providing complex protection against I type collagen destruction in both cells. The identified phytochemical could be targeted for future investigations including in vivo studies on different aspects of skin inflammation process, followed by the development of novel formulations with it.