Epigallocatechin-3-gallate attenuates acute pancreatitis induced lung injury by targeting mitochondrial reactive oxygen species triggered NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Green tea has been considered as a health-promoting beverage and is widely consumed worldwide. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), the most abundant polyphenol derived from green tea leaves with potent antioxidative and chemopreventive activities, has been reported to offer protection against inflammation-driven tissue damage. Here, we evaluated the protective effects of EGCG against lung injury during acute pancreatitis (AP) and further revealed the detailed mechanism. The results showed that EGCG significantly attenuated l-arginine-induced AP and the consequent pulmonary damage in mice. Moreover, EGCG substantially attenuated oxidative stress and concurrently suppressed NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in the lung. In vitro, EGCG considerably reduced the production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) and oxidized mitochondrial DNA (ox-mtDNA) in alveolar macrophages (AMs) challenged with AP-conditioned plasma. Meanwhile, the amount of ox-mtDNA bound to NLRP3 decreased significantly by the treatment with EGCG, resulting in impaired NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In addition, the antagonism of NLRP3 signaling by EGCG was affected in the presence of the mtROS stimulant rotenone or scavenger Mito-TEMPO. Altogether, EGCG possesses potent activity to attenuate lung injury during AP progression by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation. As for the mechanism, the EGCG-conferred restriction of NLRP3 inflammasome activation probably arises from the elimination of mtROS as well as its oxidative product ox-mtDNA, which consequently enables the protection against AP-associated lung injury.