• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.73-83
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• 2008

Objectives : The root of Zingiber officinale ROSC. (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens; Ginger) has been widely used as one of folk remedies and food materials in many traditional preparations. Ginger is known as an effective appetite enhancer and anti-inflammatory agent. This study was performed to investigate the effect of ginger chloroform fraction (GCF) in microglia which play a central role on brain inflammation in neurodegenerative diseases. Methods : Dried ginger was extracted with 80% methanol, and then fractionated with chloroform. BV2 mouse microglial cells were cultured with different concentrations of GCF and then stimulated with LPS (1 ${\mu}g/m{\ell}$) at indicated times. The cell toxicity of GCF was determined by MTT assay. The concentrations of NO, PGE2 and cytokines were measured by Griess assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. The mRNA and protein expressions of iNOS, COX-2 and cytokines were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The phosphorylation of three MAPKs (p38 MAPK, ERK1/2 and JNK) and $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation were determined by Western blotting. Results : GCF significantly inhibited LPS-induced production of inflammatory mediators, NO, $PGE_2$ and proinflammatory cytokines ($TNF-{\alpha}$ and $IL-1{\beta}$) in a dose-dependent manner. GCF attenuated LPS-induced expression of mRNA and protein of inflammatory enzymes, iNOS, COX-2 and proinflammatory cytokines through suppressing the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK and the activation of p65 $NF-{\kappa}B$ in BV2 cells. Conclusions : This study suggests that GCF may have an anti-inflammatory property through suppressing the inflammatory mediator production released by activated microglia after the brain injury.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1332-1338
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• 2018

Activated microglia, induced by various pathogens, protect neurons and maintain homeostasis of the central nervous system (CNS). However, severe activation causes neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease because of the secretion of various neurotoxic molecules, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin (PG), and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Because chronic microglial activation endangers neuronal survival, negative regulators of microglial activation have been identified as potential therapeutic candidates for treatment of many neurological diseases. One potential source of these regulators is Locusta migratoria, a grasshopper of the Acrididae, usually 4-6 cm in size, belonging to the family of large insects in Acrididae. This grasshopper is an edible insect resource that can be consumed by humans as protein source or used for animal feed. The aim of the present study was to examine the inhibitory effects of a L. migratoria ethanol extract (LME) on the production of inflammatory mediators in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia cells. The extract significantly inhibited the NO, iNOS, COX-2, and pro-inflammatory cytokine ($TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-6 and $IL-1{\beta}$) levels in BV-2 microglia cell. Because the inhibition of microglial activation may be an effective solution for treating brain disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, these results suggest that LME may be a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of brain disorders induced by neuroinflammation.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.43-57
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• 2009

Objectives : This experiment was designed to investigate the effect of the Hwanso-dan hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on microglia and memory deficit model Methods : The effects of the Hwanso-dan hot water extract on expression of IL-l${\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA and production of IL-l${\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$ in BV2 microglial cell line treated by lipopolysacchaide were investigated. The effects of the Hwanso-dan hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on the behavior of the memory deficit mice induced by scopolamine and uric acid & AChE in serum of the memory deficit mice induced by scopolamine were investigated. Results : 1. The Hwanso-dan hot water extract suppressed the expression of IL-l${\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$ mRNA in BV2 microglial cell line treated by lipopolysacchaide. 2. The Hwanso-dan hot water extract suppressed the production of IL-l${\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$ in BV2 microglial cell line. 3. The Hwanso-dan hot water extract & ultra-fine powder decreased uric acid and AChE significantly in the serum of the memory deficit mice induced by scopolamine. 4. The Hwanso-dan hot water extract & ultra-fine powder groups showed significantly inhibitory effect on the scopolamine${\sim}$induced impairment of memory in the experiment of Morris water maze. Conclusions : This experiment shows that the Hwanso-dan hot water extract & ultra-fine powder might be effective for the prevention and treatment of Memory deficit disease. Investigation into the clinical use of the Hwanso-dan hot water extract & ultra-fine powder for Alzheimer's disease is suggested for future research.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.108-112
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• 2017

To isolate and identify the constituents of the fruit galls of Actinidium polygama as well as evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of the isolated compounds, a total of five triterpenes were isolated including $2{\alpha},3{\alpha},24$-trihydroxy-12-ursene-23-al-28-oic acid (1), corosolic acid (2), $2{\alpha},3{\alpha},24$-trihydroxyurs-12,20(30)-dien-28-oic acid (3), $2{\alpha},3{\alpha},24$-trihydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid (4), and $2{\alpha},3{\alpha},24$-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid (pygenic acid B) (5). Compounds 1, 3, and 4 were isolated from the fruit galls of A. polygama for the first time. Compound 3 decreased NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and mouse microglia BV2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.107-128
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• 2011

Objectives : This experiment was designed to investigate the efficacy of DDTCMT hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on Alzheimer's Disease Model. Methods : The effects of the DDTCMT hot water extract on expression of IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$, COX-2, NOS-II, IL-10, IL-1 receptor antagonist mRNA and production of IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$ in BV2 microglial cell line treated by lipopolysacchaide(LPS) were investigated. Expression of NO, ROS in BV2 microglial cell line treated by LPS and AChE activity in PC-12 cell treated by NGF were investigated. anti-AChE was observed through Western blot analysis. The effects of the DDTCMT hot water extract & ultra-fine powder on the behavior of the memory deficit mice induced by scopolamine were investigated. Results : 1. The DDTCMT hot water extract significantly decreased the production of mIL-6, mNOS-II, mTNF-${\alpha}$, and increased the production of mIL-10, mIL-1 receptor antagonist. 2. The DDTCMT hot water extract significantly suppressed the production of IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, TNF-${\alpha}$ in BV2 microglial cell line treated by LPS. 3. The DDTCMT hot water extract significantly suppressed the NO and ROS production in BV2 microglial cell line treated by LPS. 4. The DDTCMT hot water extract groups showed inhibition of AChE activity in NGF treated PC-12 cell line. 5. The DDTCMT hot water extract suppressed anti-AChE expression in NGF treated PC-12 cell line was observed by Western blot analysis. 6. The DDTCMT hot water extract & ultra-fine powder groups showed significantly inhibitory effect on the scopolamine -induced impairment of memory in the experiment of Morris water maze. Conclusions : These results suggest that the DDTCMT hot water extract & ultra-fine powder may be effective for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.640-645
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• 2016

Microglial cells are immediately activated in the central nervous system in response to a variety of neuronal environmental changes, such as injuries or inflammation. In addition to the modulation of the intrinsic immune response, a key role of microglial cells is the phagocytosis of dying cells and cellular debris. In this study, the inhibitory effects of epigallocatechine-3-gallate (EGCG), a most abundant and active polyphenol component of green tea, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced microglial activation are determined. EGCG dose dependently suppressed LPS-induced nitric oxide production and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in BV-2 microglial cells. EGCG are potent LPS-induced inhibitors of several pro-inflammatory cytokine expressions, such as TNF-α and IL-1β, in microglial cells. Furthermore, EGCG generally inhibits the induction of LPS-mediated microglial activation and potently inhibits the phagocytosis of LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia. Although the conditioned media from LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells caused the SN4741 cell death, that from the conditioned media of EGCG pretreated BV-2 cells did not diminish the viability of SN4741 cells. These results suggest EGCG, a green tea polyphenol, could be a promising available molecule for the modulation of harmful microglial activation.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.442-449
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• 2019

This study sought to evaluate the effects of Asiatic acid in LPS-induced BV2 microglia cells and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-pyridine ($MPP^+$)-induced SH-SY5Y cells, to investigate the potential anti-inflammatory mechanisms of Asiatic acid in Parkinson's disease (PD). SH-SY5Y cells were induced using $MPP^+$ to establish as an in vitro model of PD, so that the effects of Asiatic acid on dopaminergic neurons could be examined. The NLRP3 inflammasome was activated in BV2 microglia cells to explore potential mechanisms for the neuroprotective effects of Asiatic acid. We showed that Asiatic acid reduced intracellular production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and altered the mitochondrial membrane potential to regulate mitochondrial dysfunction, and suppressed the NLRP3 inflammasome in microglia cells. We additionally found that treatment with Asiatic acid directly improved SH-SY5Y cell viability and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by $MPP^+$. These data demonstrate that Asiatic acid both inhibits the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by downregulating mitochondrial reactive oxygen species directly to protect dopaminergic neurons from, and improves mitochondrial dysfunction in SH-SY5Y cells, which were established as a model of Parkinson's disease. Our finding reveals that Asiatic acid protects dopaminergic neurons from neuroinflammation by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation in microglia cells as well as protecting dopaminergic neurons directly. This suggests a promising clinical use of Asiatic acid for PD therapy.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2006

Objectives : On-Bi-Tang(OB) has been prescribed Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of inflammatory disease such as chronic renal failure. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of OB extract in the BV2 murine microglial cells. Methods : After the water extract of OB was treated in BV2 cells, murine microglial line, the cell viability was measured by MTT assay. The production of nitric oxide (NO) and $TNF-{\alpha}$ was determined based on Griess reagent and enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and $TNF-{\alpha}$ was analyzed by RT-PCR. Results : OB extract significantly inhibited the LPS-induced production of NO and TNF-a in BV2 cells. OB extract also suppressed the mRNA expression of iNOS and $TNF-{\alpha}$ in BV2 cells activated with LPS. Conclusion : These data suggests that OB extract may have the anti-inflammatory effect through the modulation of NO production and inflammatory cytokine such as $TNF-{\alpha}$.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.13-19
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: One of the mechanisms considered to be prevalent in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is hyper-stimulation of microglia. Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocapa L.) is widely used to treat diabetes and atherosclerosis, and is known to exert anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects; however, its neuroprotective effects have not been elucidated thus far. MATERIALS/METHODS: We undertook to assess the anti-inflammatory effect of the ethanolic extract of black chokeberry friut (BCE) in BV2 cells, and evaluate its neuroprotective effect in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse model of AD. RESULTS: Following stimulation of BV2 cells by LPS, exposure to BCE significantly reduced the generation of nitric oxide as well as mRNA levels of numerous inflammatory factors such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), interleukin 1 beta ($IL-1{\beta}$), and tumor necrosis factor alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$). In addition, AD was induced in a mouse model by intraperitoneal injection of LPS ($250{\mu}g/kg$), subsequent to which we investigated the neuroprotective effects of BCE (50 mg/kg) on brain damage. We observed that BCE significantly reduced tissue damage in the hippocampus by downregulating iNOS, COX-2, and $TNF-{\alpha}$ levels. We further identified the quinic acids in BCE using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). Furthermore, we confirmed the neuroprotective effect of BCE and quinic acid on amyloid beta-induced cell death in rat hippocampal primary neurons. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that black chokeberry has protective effects against the development of AD.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.219-228
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• 2015

Excessive microglial activation and subsequent neuroinflammation lead to synaptic loss and dysfunction as well as neuronal cell death, which are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of several neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, the regulation of microglial activation has been evaluated as effective therapeutic strategies. Although dieckol (DEK), one of the phlorotannins isolated from marine brown alga Ecklonia cava, has been previously reported to inhibit microglial activation, the molecular mechanism is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated here molecular mechanism of DEK via extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), Akt and nicotinamide adenine dinuclelotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase-mediated pathways. In addition, the neuroprotective mechanism of DEK was investigated in microglia-mediated neurotoxicity models such as neuron-microglia co-culture and microglial conditioned media system. Our results demonstrated that treatment of anti-oxidant DEK potently suppressed phosphorylation of ERK in lipopolysaccharide (LPS, $1{\mu}g/ml$)-stimulated BV-2 microglia. In addition, DEK markedly attenuated Akt phosphorylation and increased expression of $gp91^{phox}$, which is the catalytic component of NADPH oxidase complex responsible for microglial reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Finally, DEK significantly attenuated neuronal cell death that is induced by treatment of microglial conditioned media containing neurotoxic secretary molecules. These neuroprotective effects of DEK were also confirmed in a neuron-microglia co-culture system using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-transfected B35 neuroblastoma cell line. Taken together, these results suggest that DEK suppresses excessive microglial activation and microglia-mediated neuronal cell death via downregulation of ERK, Akt and NADPH oxidase-mediated pathways.