The Constituents Analysis and the Anti-inflammatory Activity of the Chinese Medicine: Kanglao Concoction

Introduction: The Chinese medicine, Kanglao concoction has been used clinically to treat tuberculosis. However, its constituents and anti-inflammatory activity have not been fully understood. Method: In this study, HPLC-MS2 has been employed to determine the main constituents in the concoction. The anti-inflammatory activity has been investigated by ELISA and Western Blot techniques. The MS analysis revealed that tigogenin and afzelin were two main constituents in Kanglao concoction. Result: Moreover, the result of ELISA experiments showed that Kanglao concoction significantly reduced the expression of TNF-α and IL-1β at 5 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL to inhibit inflammation. Conclusion: The expression of Notch pathway-related proteins in A549 cells increased under the stimulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and decreased dose-dependently upon the treatment of Kanglao concoction, which was deduced to inhibit Notch pathway expression to impose antiinflammatory activity.