Design, synthesis and anti-pneumonic activity evaluation of shikonin ester derivatives.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a serious and prevalent clinical condition with limited treatments. Recent research has highlighted the potential of targeting inflammatory pathways as a therapeutic strategy for ALI. In this study, a series of shikonin ester derivatives were synthesized by introducing various acyl groups into shikonin. Among them, isovalerylshikonin demonstrated the most potent activity, significantly inhibiting the production of NO, IL-6, and TNF-α in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cell models. It also successfully alleviated the pathological features in an LPS-induced mouse model of ALI, with decreasing the cytokine expression and inflammatory cell infiltration. With the network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses, the anti-pneumonia effects of isovalerylshikonin has been revealed, involving both direct inhibition of key inflammatory mediators and indirect regulation of oxidative stress-related pathways. These findings suggest that isovalerylshikonin could be a promising lead compound the ALI therapy.