• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2017

Died Gardenia jasminoides fruit is used as a dye in the food and clothes industries in Asia. The present study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of aqueous extract of G. jasminoides fruits (GJ) in BV-2 microglial cells. GJ inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) secretion, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, and reactive oxygen species production, without affecting cell viability. Furthermore, GJ increased the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of GJ on iNOS expression was abrogated by small interfering RNA-mediated knock-down of HO-1. In addition, GJ induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcription factor that regulates HO-1 expression. GJ-mediated expression of HO-1 was suppressed by LY294002, a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI-3K) inhibitor, and SB203580, a p38 kinase inhibitor, but not by the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor PD98059 or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125. GJ also enhanced the phosphorylation of Akt and p38. These results suggest that GJ suppresses the production of NO, a pro-inflammatory mediator, by inducing HO-1 expression via PI-3K/Akt/p38 signaling. These findings illustrate a novel molecular mechanism by which extract from G. jasminoides fruits inhibits neuroinflammation.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.337-349
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• 1997

This study was undertaken to examine the intensity of involvement of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclic GMP signal transduction pathway as one of the mechanisms of vaso-relaxative action of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the canine femoral artery strips. Canine femoral arteries were isolated and spiral strips of 10 mm long and 2 mm wide were made in the Tyrode solution of $0-4^{\circ}C$. The strips were prepared for isometric myography in Biancani's isolated muscle chamber containing 1 ml of Tyrode solution, which was maintained with pH 7.4 by aeration with 95% $O_2$/5% $CO_2$ at $37^{\circ}C$ and nitric oxide (NO) production was measured simulltaneously with isolated nitric oxide meter. LPS induced NO production, suppressed the phenylephrine (PE) induced contraction and enhanced the acetylcholine (ACh) induced relaxation. $N^G$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an NOS inhibitor, methylene blue, a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, potentiated PE induced contraction and suppressed ACh induced relaxation on the LPS treated strips. The inhibitory potency of methylene blue for LPS induced vascular hyporesponsiveness was stronger than that of L-NAME. These results suggest that in canine femoral artery, both iNOS and cyclic GMP signal trnasduction pathway are related with LPS induced vascular hyporeponsiveness, but in minor with iNOS and in major with cyclic GMP signal trnasduction pathway.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1120-1126
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• 2011

Rosa multiflora thunberg belonging to Rosaceae is widely distributed in East Asia including Korea and Japan, and has been reported to have tormentic acid and rosamultin. To develop a new natural anti-inflammatory agent for cosmetics, we investigated the inhibitory effects of inflammation in Rosa multiflora root (R. multiflora root). The biological activity and anti-inflammatory effects were investigated by water, ethanol, methanol and acetone extracts of R. multiflora root. The measurements of polyphenol content from R. multiflora root were highest in water and acetone extracts, at 57.48 ${\pm}$ 0.88 mg/g and 67.05 ${\pm}$ 0.56 mg/g, respectively. The result of DPPH, ABTS and superoxide anion radical scavenging effects showed over 50% efficacy at 50 ${\mu}g/ml$ in ethanol, methanol and acetone extracts. Hyaluronidase inhibition effect showed over 60% efficacy at 500 ${\mu}g/ml$ in ethanol, methanol, and acetone extracts. Nitric oxide radical inhibition effect of R. multiflora root ethanol extracts showed over 30% efficacy at 500 ${\mu}g/ml$. We investigated the effect of R. multiflora root extracts on nitric oxide (NO) production of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. The result showed that R. multiflora root extracts have an inhibitory effect on NO production and iNOS expression and also can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent. These antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of R. multiflora root show applicant potential application as a functional cosmetic material.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.509-516
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• 2018

Five phenolic compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of leaves from Stewartia koreana, and their nitric-oxide (NO) inhibitory activities were measured to identify the major active constituents responsible for the efficacy of the extract against inflammatory reactions. These five compounds were quercetin (1), quercitrin (2), hyperin (3), quercetin-3-O-(6"-O-galloyl)-${\beta}$-D-galactopyranoside (4), and kaempferol 3-O-[2",6"-di-O-(trans-p-coumaroyl)]-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside (5). Among the separated compounds in the EtOAc fraction, compounds 4 and 5 were isolated for the first time, and no study has yet reported their anti-inflammatory effects. The compounds were identified by spectroscopic analysis, and the isolated compounds showed significant NO inhibitory effects in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Compound 5 showed the most potent inhibitory effect (63.35% inhibition) against LPS-induced NO production compared to that of compound 1 (17.17%), compound 2 (5.0%), compound 3 (3.92%), and compound 4 (6.32%) at $10{\mu}g/ml$ concentration. NO production was inhibited by suppressing the protein expression of inducible nitric-oxide synthase in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. These results indicate that kaempferol 3-O-[2",6"-di-O-(trans-p-coumaroyl)]-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranoside might be the major active compound responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of S. koreana.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.1689-1697
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• 2011

In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammation effect of Persicaria thunbergii (P. thunbergii) on RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. The anti-inflammatory activity of P. thunbergii was determined by measuring expression of the LPS-induced inflammatory proteins, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$), and the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$). Methanol extract of P. thunbergii decreased the expression of iNOS, COX-2 and NF-${\kappa}B$, and increased the expression of HO-1 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Methanol extract was fractioned by n-butanol, hexane and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and each fraction was tested for inhibitory effects on inflammation. Among the sequential solvent fractions, the EtOAc soluble fraction was investigated by the expression of prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), and showed decreasing form to the dose-dependent manner. EtOAc extract showed the most effective inhibitory activity of the expression of iNOS, COX-2 and NF-${\kappa}B$, and the production of NO. The study showed that P. thunbergii has anti-inflammatory activity through the decrease of NO and inhibition of iNOS, COX-2, $PGE_2$ and NF-${\kappa}B$ expression, and by the increase of HO-1 enzyme. This study needs for more investigation to find out the most effective single compound with anti-inflammatory activity.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.23-28
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• 2023

Since the global shock caused by COVID-19, interest in immune-enhancing materials is rapidly increasing, therefore, the development of novel materials is necessary from the industrial and health perspectives. In this study, we selected Nelumbo nucifera Gaertner Seed Extract (NSE) and evaluated immune enhancement effect by using RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. NSE significantly up-regulated production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species without affecting cell viability in RAW 264.7 cells. Additionally, NSE exhibited an increase of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in RAW 264.7 cells. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results showed that NSE-treatment significantly enhanced production of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, we observed that NSE significantly up-regulated phosphorylation of p65, I kappa B kinase α/β, and I kappa B (IκB) α as well as down-regulation of IκB α expression in RAW 264.7 cells. Our findings indicate that NSE could be the potential health-functional food material with capacity of improving immunity via Nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.2042-2045
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• 2007

The effect of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS, 1 kDa${\gamma}$, 10 ng/ml IL-$1{\alpha}$, and 25 ng/ml TNF-${\alpha}$) in HT-29 cells. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression induced by these cytokines was inhibited by COS. COS pretreatment inhibited the invasiveness of cytokines-treated HT-29 cells through Matrigel-coated membrane in a dose-dependent manner. COS also inhibited cytokines-induced matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activity. This study shows that proinflammatory cytokines induce NO production, iNOS expression, and invasiveness of human colorectal adenocarcinoma HT-29 cells. COS pretreatment inhibited cytokines-mediated NO production, iNOS expression, and invasiveness of HT-29 cells. These results provide sufficient information for the further development of COS as an antitumor metastatic agent for the treatment of colon cancer.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.170-178
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• 2000

Flavonoids are natural polyphenolic compounds widely distributed in plant kingdom. Although many flavonoids were found to show anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo, the potency of anti-inflammatory activity was not enough for a clinical trial. Thus, a search for finding potential flavonoid molecules is continuing. In this review, in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of various flavonoid derivatives is summarized mainly based on the results obtained in authors' laboratories. Among them, several biflavonoids such as amentoflavone and ginkgetin were found to possess anti-inflammatory activity on animal models of acute/chronic inflammation comparable to nonsteroidal and steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs currently used. In respect of their action mechanisms, the effects on arachidonic acid metabolism and nitric oxide production were described. Some flavonoids directly inhibit cyclooxygenase and/or lipoxygenase. Biflavones such as ochnaflavone and ginkgetin are inhibitors of phospholipase $A_2$. In recent studies, certain flavonoids were also found to suppress cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression induced by inflammatory stimuli. Therefore, it is suggested that anti-inflammatory activity of the certain flavonoids (mainly flavones, flavonols and biflavonoids) may be mediated by direct inhibition of arachidonic acid metabolizing enzymes as well as suppression of the enzyme expression involved in inflammatory responses.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.636-643
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• 2007

This study was designed to identify and characterize the mechanism of macrophage activation by AAP, an acidic polysaccharide fraction isolated from the roots of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels. As a result, AAP significantly enhanced nitric oxide (NO) production and cellular lysosomal enzyme activity in murine peritoneal macrophages in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, L-NAME, a specific inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), effectively suppressed AAP-induced NO generation in macrophages, indicating that AAP stimulated macrophages to produce NO through the induction of iNOS gene expression and the result was further confirmed by the experiment of the increase of AAP-induced iNOS transcription in a dose-dependent manner. To further investigate, AAP was shown to strongly augment toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA expression and the pretreatment of macrophages with anti-TLR4 antibody significantly blocked AAP-induced NO release and the increase of iNOS activity, and tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ (TNF-$\alpha$) secretion.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.132-136
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• 2008

The current study aimed to assess some novel pharmacological activities of vanillin. Vanillin inhibited the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenesis. Vanillin had anti-inflammatory activity using the acetic acid-induced permeability model in mice. Anti-nociceptive activity of vanillin was shown using the acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice. Vanillin inhibited production of nitric oxide (NO) and induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) but not cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 macrophages. Vanillin decreased the level of iNOS mRNA in the LPS-activated macrophages. Taken together, these results suggest that vanillin can have anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities in ICR Mice.