Inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production by chloroform fraction of Cudrania tricuspidata in RAW 264.7 macrophages

• Published in: BMC complementary and alternative medicine Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 250
• Main Authors: Yang, Gabsik, Lee, Kyungjin, Lee, Mihwa, Ham, Inhye, Choi, Ho-Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 10.12.2012; BMC
• Subjects: Animals; Cell culture; CTC, Lipopolysaccharide; Cudrania tricuspidata; Cyclooxygenase 2 - metabolism; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors - pharmacology; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Cytokines; Dinoprostone - biosynthesis; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Enzymes; Fractions; Inflammation - chemically induced; Inflammation - drug therapy; Inflammation - metabolism; Inflammation Mediators - metabolism; Interleukin-1beta - metabolism; Interleukin-6 - metabolism; Laboratory animals; Lipopolysaccharide CHCl3 partitioned methanol extract of Cudrania tricuspidata; Lipopolysaccharides; LPS, prostaglandin E2; Macrophages - drug effects; Macrophages - metabolism; Mice; Moraceae; Nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide - biosynthesis; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II - metabolism; Pathogenesis; PGE2, nitric oxide; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Prostaglandin E2; Proteins; Studies; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism; South Korea
• ISSN: 1472-6882; 1472-6882
• DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-12-250

Cudrania tricuspidata extract is an important traditional herbal remedy for tumors, inflammation, gastritis, and liver damage and is predominantly used in Korea, China, and Japan. However, the anti-inflammatory effects of the extract have not yet been conclusively proved. In this study, we investigated the effects of the CHCl3 fraction (CTC) of a methanol extract of C. tricuspidata on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages, and the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. We observed that the protein expression levels of inducible NO synthase and COX-2 enzymes were markedly inhibited by CTC in a concentration-dependent manner. In addition, CTC reduced the production of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Our results show that the C. tricuspidata extract could modulate macrophage-mediated inflammatory functions such as the overproduction of cytokines, NO, and PGE2. The CTC was found to be the active fraction in this context.