Daylily (Hemerocallis fulva Linn.) flowers improve sleep quality in human and reduce nitric oxide and interleukin-6 production in macrophages.

The flowers of daylily (Hemerocallis fulva Linn.) have been used as vegetable and medicinal herb for thousands of years in Taiwan and eastern Asia. Daylily flowers have been demonstrated to exert several biomedical properties. In this study, we provided the evidences show that daylily flowers exert anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and improved the sleep quality in vivo. We demonstrated that adult volunteers received water extract of daylily flowers improved sleep quality, sleep efficiency and daytime functioning, while sleep latency was reduced, compared to the adult volunteers received water. In addition, we demonstrated that aqueous and ethanol extracts of daylily flowers inhibited nitric oxide and interleukin-6 production in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages. Furthermore, the quantitative high performance liquid chromatography-based analysis showed the rutin content of the aqueous extract, ethanolic extract, ethyl acetate fractions of ethanolic extract, and water fractions of ethanolic extract were 7.27, 23.30, 14.71, and 57.43 ppm, respectively. These results indicate that daylily flowers have the potential to be a nutraceutical for improving inflammatory-related diseases and sleep quality in the future.

Eucalyptus essential oils inhibit the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response in RAW264.7 macrophages through reducing MAPK and NF-κB pathways.

BACKGROUND: Eucalyptus essential oils have been used in traditional medicine for centuries. It was reported that Eucalyptus leaves possess antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. Here, we investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of the essential oils extracted from the leaves of four different Eucalyptus species in RAW264.7 macrophages. METHODS: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 macrophages were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the leaf essential oils of Eucalyptus. The cell survival was quantified by an Alamar Blue assay. Nitric oxide (NO) production was assessed by Griess reaction. TNF-α and IL-6 production were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcriptional activity was measured by NF-κB reporter assay. Intracellular protein expression levels were determined by Western blot. The expression levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), protein kinase C (PKC) and NF-κB pathway were measured by western blot in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophage. RESULTS: The essential oils extracted from Eucalyptus citriodora leaf exert the best NO inhibitory activity in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophages. The essential oils were fractionated into fractions A-H, and fraction F has been demonstrated to inhibit the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, NO, iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophages. Mechanistic analysis revealed that fraction F reduced the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2, p38, PKC-α, PKC-ε and PKC-δ, and inhibited the NF-κB transcriptional activity. The chemical composition of Fraction F was determined by GC-MS. CONCLUSIONS: The discoveries made herein could help develop innovative nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with minimal side effects and strong efficacy. Clinical trials on these Eucalyptus leaf essential oils will help customize and optimize their therapeutic administration.

IgA Nephropathy Benefits from Compound K Treatment by Inhibiting NF-κB/NLRP3 Inflammasome and Enhancing Autophagy and SIRT1.

IgA nephropathy (IgAN), the most common primary glomerular disorder, has a relatively poor prognosis yet lacks a pathogenesis-based treatment. Compound K (CK) is a major absorbable intestinal bacterial metabolite of ginsenosides, which are bioactive components of ginseng. The present study revealed promising therapeutic effects of CK in two complementary IgAN models: a passively induced one developed by repeated injections of IgA immune complexes and a spontaneously occurring model of spontaneous grouped ddY mice. The potential mechanism for CK includes 1) inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome in renal tissues, macrophages and bone marrow-derived dendritic cells, 2) enhancing the induction of autophagy through increased SIRT1 expression, and 3) eliciting autophagy-mediated NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition. The results support CK as a drug candidate for IgAN.

Accelerated and Severe Lupus Nephritis Benefits From M1, an Active Metabolite of Ginsenoside, by Regulating NLRP3 Inflammasome and T Cell Functions in Mice.

Chinese herbal medicines used in combination have long-term been shown to be mild remedies with "integrated effects." However, our study provides the first demonstration that M1, an active metabolite of ginsenoside, exerted its dramatic therapeutic effects on accelerated and severe lupus nephritis (ASLN) mice, featuring acute renal function impairment, heavy proteinuria, high serum levels of anti-dsDNA, and high-grade, diffuse proliferative renal lesions. In the present study, NZB/WF1 mice were given injections of lipopolysaccharide to induce the ASLN model. M1 (30 mg/kg) was then administered to the mice by gavage daily, and the mice were sacrificed on week 3 and week 5 after the induction of disease. To identify the potential mechanism of action for the pure compound, levels of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs), podocytes and macrophages, and antigen-specific T cell activation in BMDCs were determined in addition to mechanistic experiments in vivo. Treatment with M1 dramatically improved renal function, albuminuria and renal lesions and reduced serum levels of anti-dsDNA in the ASLN mice. These beneficial effects with M1 treatment involved the following cellular and molecular mechanistic events: [1] inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome associated with autophagy induction, [2] modulation of T help cell activation, and [3] induction of regulatory T cell differentiation. M1 improved the ASLN mice by blunting NLRP3 inflammasome activation and differentially regulating T cell functions, and the results support M1 as a new therapeutic candidate for LN patients with a status of abrupt transformation of lower-grade (mesangial) to higher-grade (diffuse proliferative) nephritis.

Glucosamine inhibits IL-1ß expression by preserving mitochondrial integrity and disrupting assembly of the NLRP3 inflammasome.

The NLRP3 inflammasome promotes the pathogenesis of metabolic, neurodegenerative and infectious diseases. Increasing evidences show that the NLRP3 inflammasome is a promising therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases. Glucosamine is widely used as a dietary supplement to promote the health of cartilage tissue and is expected to exert anti-inflammatory activity in joint inflammation, which is a nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-associated complication. Here, we investigated whether GlcN inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome and dissected the underlying molecular mechanisms. We found that GlcN suppressed the NLRP3 inflammasome in mouse and human macrophages. A mechanistic study revealed that GlcN inhibited the expression of NLRP3 and IL-1ß precursor by reducing reactive oxygen species generation and NF-κB activation in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages. GlcN also suppressed mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation and mitochondrial integrity loss in NLRP3-activated macrophages. Additionally, GlcN disrupted NLRP3 inflammasome assembly by inhibiting NLRP3 binding to PKR, NEK7 and ASC. Furthermore, oral administration of GlcN reduced peritoneal neutrophils influx and lavage fluids concentrations of IL-1ß, IL-6 MCP-1 and TNF-α in uric acid crystal-injected mice. These results indicated that GlcN might be a novel dietary supplement for the amelioration of NLRP3 inflammasome-associated complications.

Antrodia cinnamomea Galactomannan Elicits Immuno-stimulatory Activity Through Toll-like Receptor 4.

Antrodia cinnamomea (A. cinnamomea) is a medicinal fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat different kinds of ailments, including liver diseases, abdominal pain, drug intoxication, diarrhea, itchy skin, hypertension, and cancer. Polysaccharides have been identified as one of the major pharmacologically active ingredients present in A. cinnamomea. The present study aims to investigate the immunoenhancing activity of galactomannan isolated from A. cinnamomea. The cold water-soluble polysaccharide (galactomannan-repeated; MW>70 kDa; named ACP) of A. cinnamomea was isolated, and immunostimulatory properties were studied through different immune cell models including mouse macrophages and human dendritic cells. Through Toll-like receptor 4, ACP stimulated tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in J774A.1 mouse macrophages, mouse peritoneal macrophages and human dendritic cells. It was further identified that ACP elicited its immunostimulatory activity through protein kinase C-α (PKC-α) and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK) phosphorylation. Furthermore, ACP exerted the endotoxin tolerance-like effect through NF-κB inhibition. These findings demonstrate the potential of A. cinnamomea galactomannan as an immunostimulator or an adjuvant in immunotherapy and vaccination.

A low toxicity synthetic cinnamaldehyde derivative ameliorates renal inflammation in mice by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome and its related signaling pathways.

Uncontrolled inflammation is a leading cause of various chronic diseases. Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is a major bioactive compound isolated from the essential oil of the leaves of Cinnamomum osmophloeum kaneh that exhibits anti-inflammatory activity; however, the use of CA is limited by its cytotoxicity. Here, we synthesized three CA derivatives and identified 4-hydroxycinnamaldehyde-galactosamine (HCAG) as a low toxicity anti-inflammatory compound in vitro (HCAG IC50 ≫ 1600 µM; CA IC50=40 µM) and in vivo. HCAG reduced pro-inflammatory mediator expression in LPS-activated macrophages by inhibiting MAPK and PKC-α/δ phosphorylation, decreasing ROS generation and reducing NF-κB activation. HCAG also reduced NLRP3 inflammasome-derived IL-1ß secretion by inhibiting the ATP-mediated phosphorylation of AKT and PKC-α/δ. In a mouse model of LPS-induced renal inflammation, we observed reduced albuminuria and a mild degree of glomerular proliferation, glomerular sclerosis and periglomerular inflammation in the HCAG-treated mice compared with the vehicle-treated mice. The underlying mechanisms for these renoprotective effects involved: (1) inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation; (2) decreased superoxide anion levels and apoptosis; and (3) suppressed activation of NF-κB and related downstream inflammatory mediators.

Citral alleviates an accelerated and severe lupus nephritis model by inhibiting the activation signal of NLRP3 inflammasome and enhancing Nrf2 activation.

INTRODUCTION: Lupus nephritis (LN) is a major complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. NLRP3 inflammasome activation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mononuclear leukocyte infiltration in the kidney have been shown to provoke the acceleration and deterioration of LN, such as accelerated and severe LN (ASLN). Development of a novel therapeutic remedy based on these molecular events to prevent the progression of the disease is clinically warranted. METHODS: Citral (3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal), a major active compound in a Chinese herbal medicine Litsea cubeba, was used to test its renoprotective effects in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse ASLN model by examining NLRP3 inflammasome activation, ROS and COX-2 production as well as Nrf2 activation. The analysis of mechanisms of action of Citral also involved its effects on IL-1ß secretion and signaling pathways of NLRP3 inflammasome in LPS-primed peritoneal macrophages or J774A macrophages. RESULTS: Attenuated proteinuria, renal function impairment, and renal histopathology, the latter including intrinsic cell proliferation, cellular crescents, neutrophil influx, fibrinoid necrosis in the glomerulus, and peri-glomerular infiltration of mononuclear leukocytes as well as glomerulonephritis activity score were observed in Citral-treated ASLN mice. In addition, Citral inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and levels of ROS, NAD(P)H oxidase subunit p47(phox), or COX-2, and it enhanced the activation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). In LPS-primed macrophages, Citral reduced ATP-induced IL-1ß secretion and caspase-1 activation, but did not affect LPS-induced NLRP3 protein expression. CONCLUSION: Our data show that Citral alleviates the mouse ASLN model by inhibition of the activation signal, but not the priming signal, of NLRP3 inflammasome and enhanced activation of Nrf2 antioxidant signaling.

Composition, in vitro Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Essential Oils from Leaf and Twig Parts of Cupressus cashmeriana.

The chemical composition and in vitro anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils isolated from the leaf and twig of Cupressus cashmeriana have been investigated. The essential oils were isolated using hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus, and characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS, respectively. The leaf oil mainly consisted of alpha-pinene (21.8%), epizonarene (8.0%), sabinene (7.9%), limonene (7.6%), gamma-terpinene (7.0%), and allo-aromadendrene (7.0%); the twig oil was mostly carvacrol methyl ether (35.4%), manool (16.1%), carvacrol (14.2%), and (2Z,6E)-farnesol (6.9%). Twig oil, but not leaf oil, was able to reduce nitric oxide production by lipopolysaccharide-activated murine macrophages RAW 264.7 without reducing the cell viability. In addition, twig oil showed better antioxidant and antimicrobial activities than leaf oil. The major ingredient of the twig oil that was responsible for the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities was carvacrol.

Essential oil from the heartwood of Taiwan fir ameliorates LPS-induced inflammatory response by inhibiting the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase.

The essential oil from the heartwood of Taiwan fir (EOTC) was demonstrated to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated mouse macrophages. EOTC reduced nitrite oxide levels and inducible nitrite oxide synthase expression in, and tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 secretion by, LPS-activated macrophages without affecting cyclooxygenase-2 expression. EOTC reduced the levels of interleukin-lß precursor induced by LPS and decreased the NLRP3 inflammasome-derived interleukin-lß secretion induced by LPS and adenosine triphosphate. In addition, the phosphorylation levels of ERKI/2, JNK1/2, and p38 in LPS-activated macrophages were reduced by EOTC. Furthermore, EOTC was composed of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (68.4%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (28.9%) and diterpenes (0.9%). The major compounds of the oxygenated sesquiterpenes were τ-cadinol (23.9%), α-cadinol (21.1%) and cedrol (16.9%). These findings suggest that EOTC may be a candidate for the development of anti-inflammatory agents for preventing and ameliorating inflammation-related diseases.

Essential oil from leaves of Liquidambar formosana ameliorates inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide-activated mouse macrophages.

The essential oil from Liquidambar formosana leaves (EOLF) was demonstrated to exhibit anti-inflammatory activity in mouse macrophages. EOLF reduced nitrite oxide generation, secretion levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6, and expression levels of prointerleukin-beta, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated mouse macrophages. EOLF also reduced NLRP3 inflammasome-derived interleukin-1beta secretion. The underlying mechanisms for the EOLF-mediated anti-inflammatory activity were (1) reduction of LPS-induced reactive oxygen species generation; (2) reduction of LPS-induced activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and p38 MAP kinase; (3) reduction of LPS-induced nuclear factor-kappaBeta activation. Furthermore, 25 compounds were identified in the EOLF using GC-FID and GC-MS and the major compounds were terpinen-4-ol (32.0%), beta-pinene (18.0%), gamma-terpinene (13.8%), and alpha-terpinene (9.7%). We found that LPS-induced nitrite oxide generation was inhibited significantly by terpinen-4-ol. Our results indicated that EOLF has anti-inflammatory activity and may provide a molecular rationale for future therapeutic interventions in immune modulation.

Osthole improves an accelerated focal segmental glomerulosclerosis model in the early stage by activating the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway and subsequently inhibiting NF-κB-mediated COX-2 expression and apoptosis.

Inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress are implicated in the pathogenesis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a common chronic kidney disease with relatively poor prognosis and unsatisfactory treatment regimens. Previously, we showed that osthole, a coumarin compound isolated from the seeds of Cnidium monnieri, can inhibit reactive oxygen species generation, NF-κB activation, and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages. In this study, we further evaluated its renoprotective effect in a mouse model of accelerated FSGS (acFSGS), featuring early development of proteinuria, followed by impaired renal function, glomerular epithelial cell hyperplasia lesions (a sensitive sign that precedes the development of glomerular sclerosis), periglomerular inflammation, and glomerular hyalinosis/sclerosis. The results show that osthole significantly prevented the development of the acFSGS model in the treated group of mice. The mechanisms involved in the renoprotective effects of osthole on the acFSGS model were mainly a result of an activated Nrf2-mediated antioxidant pathway in the early stage (proteinuria and ischemic collapse of the glomeruli) of acFSGS, followed by a decrease in: (1) NF-κB activation and COX-2 expression as well as PGE2 production, (2) podocyte injury, and (3) apoptosis. Our data support that targeting the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway may justify osthole being established as a candidate renoprotective compound for FSGS.

3,4-Dihydroxytoluene, a metabolite of rutin, inhibits inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages by reducing the activation of NF-κB signaling.

BACKGROUND: Saussurea involucrata (Kar. et Kir.) (S. involucrate), is a rare traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Rutin and hispidulin as well as their metabolites are flavonoids of the flavonol type that abound in S. involucrata, which has been reported to inhibit nonoxidative advanced glycation end products which was involved in physiological inflammation. This study aims to investigate the role of 3,4-dihydroxytoluene (DHT), a metabolite of rutin, in inflammatory inhibition and its involved mechanism. METHODS: This study utilized lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 as inflammatory model. The inhibitory effects of DHT were evaluated by the expression level of several inflammation markers such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in RAW264.7 after LPS treatment. In addition, underlying mechanisms, the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and NF-κB, were also investigated. RESULTS: Our results showed that DHT significantly suppressed the LPS-induced production of nitric oxide (NO), iNOS, and COX-2 in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity. DHT also reduced the generation of proinflammatory cytokines majorly in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and minor in interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6. In addition, LPS-stimulated I-κBα phosphorylation and degradation followed by translocation of the nuclear factor κB (NF-kB)-p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus were attenuated after DHT treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Combined, the results suggest that DHT might exert anti-inflammatory effects in vitro in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and is potential in adjuvant treatment in inflammation disease.

Osthole mitigates progressive IgA nephropathy by inhibiting reactive oxygen species generation and NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway.

Renal reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mononuclear leukocyte infiltration are involved in the progressive stage (exacerbation) of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), which is characterized by glomerular proliferation and renal inflammation. The identification of the mechanism responsible for this critical stage of IgAN and the development of a therapeutic strategy remain a challenge. Osthole is a pure compound isolated from Cnidiummonnieri (L.) Cusson seeds, which are used as a traditional Chinese medicine, and is anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-fibrotic both in vitro and in vivo. Recently, we showed that osthole acts as an anti-inflammatory agent by reducing nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in and ROS release by activated macrophages. In this study, we examined whether osthole could prevent the progression of IgAN using a progressive IgAN (Prg-IgAN) model in mice. Our results showed that osthole administration resulted in prevention of albuminuria, improved renal function, and blocking of renal progressive lesions, including glomerular proliferation, glomerular sclerosis, and periglomerular mononuclear leukocyte infiltration. These findings were associated with (1) reduced renal superoxide anion levels and increased Nrf2 nuclear translocation, (2) inhibited renal activation of NF-κB and the NLRP3 inflammasome, (3) decreased renal MCP-1 expression and mononuclear leukocyte infiltration, (4) inhibited ROS production and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in cultured, activated macrophages, and (5) inhibited ROS production and MCP-1 protein levels in cultured, activated mesangial cells. The results suggest that osthole exerts its reno-protective effects on the progression of IgAN by inhibiting ROS production and activation of NF-κB and the NLRP3 inflammasome in the kidney. Our data also confirm that ROS generation and activation of NF-κB and the NLRP3 inflammasome are crucial mechanistic events involved in the progression of the renal disorder.

Citral is renoprotective for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis by inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis and activating Nrf2 pathway in mice.

The pathogenesis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is considered to be associated with oxidative stress, mononuclear leukocyte recruitment and infiltration, and matrix production and/or matrix degradation, although the exact etiology and pathogenic pathways remain to be determined. Establishment of a pathogenesis-based therapeutic strategy for the disease is clinically warranted. Citral (3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal), a major active compound in Litseacubeba, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, can inhibit oxidant activity, macrophage and NF-κB activation. In the present study, first, we used a mouse model of FSGS with the features of glomerular epithelial hyperplasia lesions (EPHLs), a key histopathology index of progression of FSGS, peri-glomerular inflammation, and progressive glomerular hyalinosis/sclerosis. When treated with citral for 28 consecutive days at a daily dose of 200 mg/kg of body weight by gavage, the FSGS mice showed greatly reduced EPHLs, glomerular hyalinosis/sclerosis and peri-glomerular mononuclear leukocyte infiltration, suggesting that citral may be renoprotective for FSGS and act by inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis and early activating the Nrf2 pathway. Meanwhile, a macrophage model involved in anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities was employed and confirmed the beneficial effects of citral on the FSGS model.

Composition and antipathogenic activities of the twig essential oil of Chamaecyparis formosensis from Taiwan.

In this study, antipathogenic activities of the twig essential oil and its constituents from Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum were evaluated in vitro against six plant pathogenic fungi. The essential oil from the fresh twigs was isolated using hydrodistillation in a Clevenger-type apparatus, and characterized by GC-FID and GC-MS. Twenty-five compounds were identified, representing 98.9% of the oil. The main components were beta-eudesmol (25.1%), tau-muurolol (21.6%), elemol (15.0%), totarol (14.9%), and alpha-cadinol (12.4%). The twig oil (500 mcirog/mL) showed growth inhibitory activity against the phytopathogenic fungi, Fusarium oxysporum, Pestalotiopsis funereal, and Ganoderma austral, with antifungal indices of 92.7%, 71.1%, and 87.7%, respectively. In addition, the oil suppressed totally the growth of Rhizoctonia solani, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, and Fusarium solani. In order to ascertain the source compounds of these antipathogenic activities, the main components were individually evaluated. Tau-Muurolol and alpha-cadinol exhibited excellent activity against F. oxysporum, R. solani, C. gloeosporioides, and F. solani, with IC50 < 50 microg/mL. These compounds also efficiently inhibited the mycelial growths of P. funereal and G. austral. Thus, alpha-cadinol and tau-muurolol could be considered as potential natural fungicides for controlling fungal pathogens and worth.

Freshwater clam extract inhibits inflammatory responses in LPS-activated macrophages by reducing the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and NF-kappaB.

Recent studies demonstrated that freshwater clam (Corbicula fluminea) has lipid-lowering and hepatoprotective activities, but its effect on immune responses has not yet been addressed. Here we showed that ethanol extracts of C. fluminea (ECF) reduced nitrite oxide, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages. Further, ECF was fractionated into n-hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and water soluble fractions. Of these, the ethyl acetate soluble fraction (EACF) had the highest capacity to inhibit pro-inflammatory mediators expression. The underlying mechanisms for the anti-inflammatory activity of EACF were demonstrated as down-regulation of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 phosphorylation and NF-kappaB activity. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometric analysis EACF was found to be composed mainly of fatty acids and steroids. Our results provide evidence that freshwater clam has anti-inflammatory activity, and support the possibility for the development of freshwater clam as a health supplement or adjuvant therapeutic agent for either preventing or treating inflammation related diseases.

Honokiol inhibits LPS-induced maturation and inflammatory response of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Honokiol (HNK) is a phenolic compound isolated from the bark of houpu (Magnolia officinalis), a plant widely used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. While substantial evidence indicates that HNK possesses anti-inflammatory activity, its effect on dendritic cells (DCs) during the inflammatory reaction remains unclear. The present study investigates how HNK affects lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human monocyte-derived DCs. Our experimental results show that HNK inhibits the inflammatory response of LPS-induced DCs by (1) suppressing the expression of CD11c, CD40, CD80, CD83, CD86, and MHC-II on LPS-activated DCs, (2) reducing the production of TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-12p70 but increasing the production of IL-10 and TGF-ß1 by LPS-activated DCs, (3) inhibiting the LPS-induced DC-elicited allogeneic T-cell proliferation, and (4) shifting the LPS-induced DC-driven Th1 response toward a Th2 response. Further, our results show that HNK inhibits the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2, p38, JNK1/2, IKKα, and IκBα in LPS-activated DCs. Collectively, the findings show that the anti-inflammatory actions of HNK on LPS-induced DCs are associated with the NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways.

Osthole regulates inflammatory mediator expression through modulating NF-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinases, protein kinase C, and reactive oxygen species.

Osthole, a coumarin compound, has been reported to exhibit various biological activities; however the cellular mechanism of its immune modulating activity has not yet been fully addressed. In this study we isolated osthole from the seeds of Cnidium monnieri and demonstrated that osthole inhibited TNF-α, NO and COX-2 expression in LPS-stimulated macrophages, without reducing the expression of IL-6. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of p38, JNK1/2, PKC-α and PKC-ε induced by LPS was inhibited by osthole; however, the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and PKC-δ was not reduced by osthole. Osthole also inhibited NF-κB activation and ROS release in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Our current results indicated that osthole is the major anti-inflammatory ingredient of Cnidium monnieri seed ethanol extract.

Cytomic screening of immuno-modulating activity compounds from Calocedrus formosana.

Procedures for cytomic screening were developed for identifying compounds with immuno-modulating properties from the crude extracts of natural products. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPB-MNCs) were first cultured with different natural crude extracts for 12 hours in culture media. By analyzing the expression of early activation CD69 marker, the potential immuno-activating properties of ethanol extracts of Calocedrus formosana were observed. By the double staining of antibodies recognizing CD69 and specific cell type markers, the increase of CD69 expressions was observed in CD3 and CD14 cell populations. To examine the immuno-activating properties in CD3 T cells and CD14 monocytes, the extracts were further purified. From NMR and mass spectra, sugiol was identified as a pure functional compound, and its immuno-enhancing activities were confirmed by CD69 expressions in the affected cell populations. Furthermore, to clarify the sugiol-affected subpopulations in CD3 T cells, CD3 T cell activation in association with increase in CD8 cytotoxic T cells subpopulation was observed. To address the effect of sugiol on each isolated cell population, we found that the expression of CD69, CD80, and CD86 increased in CD14 monocytes upon exposure to sugiol, whereas for CD3 T cells, sugiol failed to induce the expressions of CD69 and CD25. However, T cell activation by co-culturing monocytes and T cells suggests that the sugiol activation of T cells in hPB-MNCs involved the accessory mechanisms of sugiol-primed monocytes. Therefore, cytomic screening as a multiple-parameter screening strategy reveals the plasticity for immuno-functional studies, leading to the applications to discover new drugs of specific immuno-modulating activities.