Matrine alleviates Staphylococcus aureus lipoteichoic acid-induced endometritis via suppression of TLR2-mediated NF-κB activation.

Endometritis is one of the main diseases that causes great economic losses in the dairy industry. Recent studies have shown that matrine extracted from the traditional Chinese herb Sophora flavescens is an alkaloid with a broad range of bioactivities. Here, we aimed to investigate the protective effects of matrine on Staphylococcus aureus lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-induced endometritis in mice and elucidate the possible molecular mechanisms in vitro. Histopathological changes showed that matrine remarkably attenuated the uterus injury in a mouse model of LTA-induced endometritis. qPCR and ELISA results showed that matrine dose-dependently reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β). To further elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this protective effect of matrine, LTA-stimulated bovine endometrial epithelial cells (bEECs) were employed in this study. The results demonstrated that TLR2 expression and its downstream nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation were both suppressed by matrine treatment. Furthermore, a small interference RNA targeting TLR2 gene mimicked matrine in its inhibition on LTA-induced activation of TLR2 and NF-κB. In conclusion, these findings suggest the protective effect of matrine against LTA-induced endometritis through negative regulation of TLR2-mediated NF-κB pathway.