Inhibitory Effect of Inflexinol on Nitric Oxide Generation and iNOS Expression via Inhibition of NF-κB Activation

• Published in: Mediators of Inflammation Vol. 2007; no. 1; pp. 395 - 403
• Main Authors: Lee, Jae Woong, Lee, Moon Soon, Kim, Tae Hun, Lee, Hwa Jeong, Hong, Seong Su, Noh, Young Hee, Hwang, Bang Yeon, Ro, Jai Seup, Hong, Jin Tae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sylvania, OH Hindawi Limiteds 01.01.2007; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Publishing Corporation
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Chemical properties; General aspects; Health aspects; Inflammation; Materia medica, Vegetable; Mediators; Medical sciences; Plant extracts; South Korea; Enzyme; Nitric oxide; Activation; Inhibitor; Oxidoreductases; Transcription factor NFκB; Inhibition; Nitric-oxide synthase
• DOI: 10.1155/2007/93148
• ISSN: 0962-9351

Inflexinol, an ent -kaurane diterpenoid, was isolated from the leaves of Isodon excisus . Many diterpenoids isolated from the genus Isodon ( Labiatae ) have antitumor and antiinflammatory activities. We investigated the antiinflammatory effect of inflexinol in RAW 264.7 cells and astrocytes. As a result, we found that inflexinol (1, 5, 10 μ M) suppressed the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) as well as the production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and astrocytes. Consistent with the inhibitory effect on iNOS and COX-2 expression, inflexinol also inhibited transcriptional and DNA binding activity of NF- κ B via inhibition of I κ B degradation as well as p50 and p65 translocation into nucleus. These results suggest that inflexinol inhibits iNOS and COX-2 expression through inhibition of NF- κ B activation, thereby inhibits generation of inflammatory mediators in RAW 264.7 cells and astrocytes, and may be useful for treatment of inflammatory diseases.