Abstract:[Objective] To explore the effect and mechanism of the antimicrobial peptide CATH-B1 on extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (RS218)-induced inflammatory response in microglia. [Methods] We used RS218-infected mouse microglial BV2 cells as the inflammation model in vitro and set three groups: Mock, RS218 infection, and CATH-B1 pretreatment+RS218 infection. The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to determine cell viability. The colony counting assay was used to examine the growth, adhesion, and invasion of bacterial cells. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to determine the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in the supernatant of cell culture. Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to determine the mRNA levels of IL-1β and IL-6. Western blotting was employed to determine the protein levels of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) P65, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and their phosphorylated forms. [Results] CATH-B1 inhibited the RS218-induced secretion of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-12 and mRNA expression of IL-1β and IL-6. However, CATH-B1 did not affect bacterial adhesion or invasion. In addition, CATH-B1 inhibited the expression of phosphorylated P65 and ERK. [Conclusion] CATH-B1 plays a vital role in reducing inflammation by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. The finding provides a basis for elucidating the mechanism of antimicrobial peptides against neuroinflammation.
