RESUMO
The extract of Sappan Lignum, the heartwood of Caesalpinia sappan L., has been used in medicine to improve blood circulation. Recently, the application of microwave extraction methods has been a major focus of research into the extraction of components from natural sources. In this experiment, we compared the antiinflammatory effects of Sappan Lignum prepared by heat70% EtOH extraction (CSEH70E) and microwave70% EtOH extraction (CSEMW70E). Highperformance liquid chromatography analysis was used to identify the compounds in these extracts. The heat70% EtOH and microwave70% EtOH extracts of Sappan Lignum had different chromatograms. CSEMW70E significantly inhibited the protein expression of iNOS and COX2, PGE2, TNFα, and reduced NO and IL1ß production in macrophages exposed to LPS, whereas, only high concentrations of CSEH70E (20 µg/ml) resulted in any effects. Furthermore, CSEMW70E upregulated heme oxygenase1 (HO1) expression. In addition, the use of tin protoporphyrin, an inhibitor of HO1, confirmed the inhibitory effects of CSEMW70E on proinflammatory mediators. These results suggested that the CSEMW70Emediated upregulation of HO1 played an important role in the antiinflammatory effects of macrophages. Therefore, these findings showed that microwave extraction can be utilized to improve the extraction efficiency and biological activity of Sappan Lignum.