Standardized Extract of Rhus verniciflua Stokes Protects Wistar Rats Against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Inflammation

• Published in: Journal of medicinal food Vol. 18; no. 11; pp. 1223 - 1230
• Main Authors: Moon, Ji Eun, Shin, Jae-Ho, Kwon, Oran, Kim, Ji Yeon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mary Ann Liebert, Inc 01.11.2015
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Animals; anti-inflammatory activity; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Antioxidants - pharmacology; blood serum; body weight; Cyclooxygenase 2 - metabolism; Flavonoids - pharmacology; Flavonoids - therapeutic use; gastritis; gene expression; inducible nitric oxide synthase; inflammation; Inflammation - chemically induced; Inflammation - prevention & control; Inflammation Mediators - metabolism; interleukin-6; Lipopolysaccharides; liver; Liver - drug effects; Liver - metabolism; Male; malondialdehyde; messenger RNA; metabolic diseases; neoplasms; nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II - metabolism; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; rats; Rats, Wistar; Reference Standards; Rhus - chemistry; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Toxicodendron vernicifluum; traditional medicine; fustin; Rhus verniciflua stokes extract; lipopolysaccharide; inflammation
• ISSN: 1557-7600; 1557-7600
• DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2014.3411

Rhus verniciflua stokes (RVS) (Anacardiaceae) has been traditionally used as a folk remedy for gastritis, several cancers, and various metabolic diseases. The present study evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of RVS extract standardized to fustin content using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated rats. The rats were randomly divided into six groups and intragastrically administered 0, 100, 250, or 500 mg/kg body weight (bw) of RVS or 15 mg/kg bw of fustin for 14 days. LPS was intraperitoneally injected 18 h before sacrifice. The nitric oxide levels of RVS extract in either the serum or liver were significantly decreased compared to the LPS-treated rats (P<.05). The treatment with the RVS extract also blunted the rise of malondialdehyde levels in the liver (P<.05). The administration of RVS extract and fustin significantly prevented the elevation of interleukin 6 cytokine, iNOS, and COX-2 mRNA expression in the liver. Inflammatory cell infiltration was also significantly attenuated by the RVS extract or fustin supplementation. These results suggest that our standardized RVS extract has preventive effects on inflammatory reactions.