Anti-neuroinflammatory activity of 6,7-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethoxy phenanthrene isolated from Dioscorea batatas Decne partly through suppressing the p38 MAPK/NF-κB pathway in BV2 microglial cells.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The rhizome of Dioscorea batatas Decne (called Chinses yam) widely distributed in East Asian countries including China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan has long been used in oriental folk medicine owing to its tonic, antitussive, expectorant and anti-ulcerative effects. It has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, cholesterol-lowering, anticholinesterase, growth hormone-releasing, antifungal and immune cell-stimulating activities. AIM OF THE STUDY: Neuroinflammation caused by activated microglia contributes to neuronal dysfunction and neurodegeneration. In the present study, the anti-neuroinflammatory activity of 6,7-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethoxy phenanthrene (DHDMP), a phenanthrene compound isolated from Dioscorea batatas Decne, was examined in microglial and neuronal cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A natural phenanthrene compound, DHDMP, was isolated from the peel of Dioscorea batatas Decne. The anti-neuroinflammatory capability of the compound was examined using the co-culture system of BV2 murine microglial and HT22 murine neuronal cell lines. The expression levels of inflammatory mediators and cytoprotective proteins in the cells were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: DHDMP at the concentrations of ≤1 µg/mL did not exhibit a cytotoxic effect for BV2 and HT22 cells. Rather DHDMP effectively restored the growth rate of HT22 cells, which was reduced by co-culture with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated BV2 cells. DHDMP significantly decreased the production of proinflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and cyclooxygenase-2 in BV2 cells. Moreover, DHDMP strongly inhibited the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in BV2 cells. The compound did not affect the levels and phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. Concurrently, DHDMP increased the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an inducible cytoprotective enzyme, in HT22 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that DHDMP effectively dampened LPS-mediated inflammatory responses in BV2 microglial cells by suppressing transcriptional activity of NF-κB and its downstream mediators and contributed to HT22 neuronal cell survival. This study provides insight into the therapeutic potential of DHDMP for inflammation-related neurological diseases.