• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.669-676
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• 2019

Zanthoxylum piperitum D.C. (ZP) peels has been used as a natural spice and herb medicine for hypertension reduction, for strokes, and for its anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant activity. However, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms employed by ZP have yet to be completely understood. In this study, we elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of ZP in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW264.7 cells. We evaluated the effects of ZP in LPS-induced levels of inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), and caspase-1 using ELISA. The expression levels of inflammatory-related genes, including cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), were assayed by Western blot analysis. We elucidated the effect of ZP on nuclear factor (NF)-κB activation by means of a luciferase activity assay. The findings of this study demonstrated that ZP inhibited the production of inflammatory cytokine and PGE₂ and inhibited the increased levels of COX-2 and iNOS caused by LPS. Additionally, we showed that the anti-inflammatory effect of ZP arises by suppressing the activation of NF-κB and caspase-1 in LPS- induced RAW264.7 cells. These results provide novel insights into the pharmacological actions of ZP as a potential candidate for development of new drugs to treat inflammatory diseases.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.874-878
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• 2006

Methyl gallate (MG) is a medicinal herbal product that is isolated from Paeonia lactiflora that inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) dependent phases of prostaglandin $D_2\;(PGD_2)$ generation in bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMC) in a concentration-dependent manner with an $IC_{50}$ values of $17.0\;{\mu}M$. This compound also found inhibited the COX-2-dependent conversion of the exogenous arachidonic acid to $PGD_2$ in a dose-dependent manner with an $IC_{50}$ values of $190\;{\mu}M$, using a COX enzyme assay kit. However, at concentrations up to $80\;{\mu}M$, MG did not inhibit COX-2 protein expression in BMMC, indicating that MG inhibits COX-2 activity directly. Furthermore, MG consistently inhibited the production of leukotriene $C_4\;(LTC_4)$ in a dose dependent manner, with an $IC_{50}$ value of $5.3\;{\mu}M$. These results demonstrate that MG has a dual cyclooxygenase-2/5-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity, which might provide the basis for novel anti-inflammatory drugs.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.4272-4278
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• 2014

One of the most effective ways of preventing skin aging is to protect the skin from UV radiation, which was identified as the primary cause of photoaging. Therefore, it is necessary to develop natural and environment-friendly materials to the human skin. This study examined the effects of MAAs extracted from Chlamydononas hedleyi on UV protection and anti-inflammation in human skin cells. The function of porphyra-334 in the skin, which was isolated and purified from MMAs mixture, was tested in terms of its UV protective ability and anti-inflammation. As a result, porphyra-334 played a role in protecting the skin from UV radiation and anti-inflammation through the suppression of COX-2 expression. These results suggest that porphyra-334 can be a useful material in cosmetic products because it can protect the skin from UV radiation and anti-inflammation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.82-82
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• 2001

Previously, several prenylated flavonoids having a C-8 lavandulyl moiety were found to inhibit cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) as well as 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), and sophoraflavanone G was the most potent inhibitor against these eicosanoid generating enzymes among the prenylated flavonoids tested. In this investigation, effects of sophoraflavanone G on COX-2 induction from RAW 264.7 cells and in vivo inflammatory response were studied. Sophoraflavanone G inhibited prostaglandin E$_2$(PGE$_2$) production from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated RAW cells by COX-2 down-regulation without significantly affecting COX-2 activity at 1 50 $\mu$M. Other prenylated flavonoids including kuraridin and sanggenon D also down-regulated COX-2 induction at 10-25 $\mu$M, lirhile kurarinone and echinoisoflavanone did not. In addition, sophoraflavanone G shelved in vivo anti-inflammatory activity against mouse croton oil-induced ear edema and rat carrageenan paw edema via oral (2-250mg/kg) or topical administration (10 - 250 $\mu\textrm{g}$/ear). Although the potencies of inhibition were far less than that of a reference drug, prednisolone, this compound showed higher anti-inflammato교 activity when applied topically, suggesting a potential use for several eicosanoid-related skin inflammation such as atopic dermatitis.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2020

Objectives: Oxidative stress-mediated neuroinflammation has been supposed as a crucial factor that contributes to the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the protective activity against oxidative stress and neuroinflammation of protocatechuic acid (PA), active phenolic compound from Momordica Charantia. Methods: Protective activity of PA from oxidative stress was performed under in vitro conditions. Our study investigated the protective mechanism of PA from neuroinflammation in cellular system using C6 glial cell. To investigate the improvement the effects on oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, we induced oxidative stress by H₂O₂ (100 μM) stimulation and induced neuroinflammation by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (1 ㎍/mL) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) (10 ng/mL) in C6 glial cells. Results: PA showed strong radical scavenging effect against 1,1-dipenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxy radical (·OH) and nitric oxide (NO). Under oxidative stress treated by H₂O₂, the result showed the increased mRNA expressions of oxidative stress markers such as nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide (iNOS). However, the treatment of PA led to reduced mRNA expressions of NF-κB, COX-2 and iNOS. Moreover, PA attenuated the production of interleukin-6 and scavenged NO generated by both endotoxin LPS and IFN-γ together. Furthermore, it also reduced LPS and IFN-γ-induced mRNA expressions of iNOS and COX-2. Conclusions: In conclusion, our results collectively suggest that PA, phenolic compound of Momordica Charantia, could be a safe anti-oxidant and a promising anti-neuroinflammatory molecule for neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.197-205
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the bioconversion of ginsenosides as well as anti-inflammatory activities of fresh ginseng Kkakdugi during fermentation. Fresh ginseng Kkakdugi reached proper ripeness, pH 4.30, and acidity 1.69% at $15^{\circ}C$ after 10 days. Lactic acid bacteria grew until reaching $1.10{\times}10^9CFU/mL$ after 20 days of fermentation, and ${\beta}$-glucosidase activity increased from 1.154 to 1.885 units/g. The bioconversion of ginsenosides was confirmed based on increased content of Rg3, an aglycone, from 0.13 to 0.17 mg/g during fermentation through HPLC. Fresh ginseng Kkakdugi did not display cytotoxicity up to the concentrations of $80{\mu}g/mL$, regardless of ripening period. Nitrite production and expression of inflammation-related proteins, iNOS and COX-2, decreased in a dose-dependent manner regardless of ripening period. From these results, fresh ginseng Kkakdugi showed the bioconversion of ginsenosides to aglycone during the lactic acid fermentation as well as an anti-inflammatory effect through the reduction of NO production and iNOS and COX-2 expression.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.12
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• pp.1685-1690
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• 2009

In this study, we investigated the effect of C. zawadskii extract on nitric oxide (NO) production, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production, protein and mRNA expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. C. zawadskii extract (5~50 μg/mL) significantly inhibited LPS-induced NO production in a concentration-dependent manner ranging from 23.3% to 100%. Consistent with the inhibitory effect on NO production, C. zawadskii extract inhibited the protein expression and mRNA expression of iNOS. Although flower extracts of C. zawadskii was not effective on the expression of PGE2 and COX-2, flower extracts of C. zawadskii, however, showed a strong anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of NO production and iNOS expression. The present results suggest that C. zawadskii extract has an inhibitory effect on NO production, and thus can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.187-193
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• 2017

As a part of ongoing research to elucidate and characterize antiinflammatory nutraceuticals, the crude extracts from Atriplex gmelinii C. A. Mey. and their solvent-partitioned fractions were tested for their antiinflammatory potential in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 mouse macrophages. The crude extracts of A. gmelinii C. A. Mey. were fractioned according to polarity with n-hexane, 85% aqueous methanol (85% aq. MeOH), n-butanol, and $H_2O$. Their antiinflammatory activities were investigated in LPS-induced inflammation in mouse macrophages by measuring nitric oxide (NO) generation and mRNA expression of inflammation mediators, namely, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), interleukin-$1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$), and IL-6. As a result, we confirmed that the crude extracts of A. gmelinii C. A. Mey. inhibited LPS-stimulated NO production and mRNA expression of iNOS and COX-2 as important inflammatory factors. The inhibition of NO production through the downregulation of important inflammatory factors such as iNOS, COX-2, $IL-1{\beta}$, and IL-6 was found by treatment with all solvent-partitioned fractions. Among all tested fractions, 85% aq. MeOH showed the strongest antiinflammatory response. Based on the current results, A. gmelinii C. A. Mey. was suggested to possess natural antiinflammatory components, indicating that it could be used as a valuable source of antiinflammatory substances.

• The Korean Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.121-129
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• 2017

Coffee (Coffea spp.) is one of the most important agricultural commodities, being widely consumed in the world. Various beneficial health effects of coffee have been extensively investigated, but data on habitual coffee consumption and its bio-physiological effect have not been clearly explained as well as it is not proved the cause and effect between drinking coffee and its bio-physiological reactions. We made the dialyzed coffee extract (DCE), which is absorbable through gastrointestinal tract, in order to elucidate the cellular effect of whole small coffee molecules. RAW 264.7 cells, a murine macrophage lineage, were directly treated with DCE, i.e., DCE-2.5 (equivalent to 2.5 cups of coffee a day), DCE-5, and DCE-10, for 12 hours, and their protein extracts were examined by immunoprecipitation high performance liquid chromatography (IP-HPLC). RAW 264.7 cells differently expressed the inflammation-related proteins depending on the doses of DCE. RAW 264.7 cells treated with DCE showed marked increase of cathepsin C, cathepsin G, CD20, CD28, CD31, CD68, indicating the activation of innate immunity. Particularly, the macrophage biomarkers, cathepsin G, cathepsin C, CD31, and CD68 were markedly increased after DCE-5 and DCE-10 treatments, and the lymphocyte biomarkers, CD20 and CD28 were consistently increased and became marked after DCE-10 treatment. On the other hand, RAW 264.7 cells treated with DCE showed consistent increase of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory factor, but gradual decreases of different pro-inflammatory proteins including $TNF{\alpha}$, COX-2, lysozyme, MMP-2, and MMP-3. In particular, the cellular signaling of inflammation was gradually mitigated by the reduction of $TNF{\alpha}$, COX-2, IL-12, and M-CSF, and also the matrix inflammatory reaction was reduced by marked deceases of MMP-2, MMP-3, and lysozyme. These anti-inflammatory expressions were consistently found until DCE-10 treatment. Therefore, it is presumed that DCE may have dynamic effects of innate immunity activation and pro-inflammation suppression on RAW264.7 cells simultaneously. These effects were consistently found in the highest dose of coffee, DCE-10 (equivalent to 10 cups of coffee a day in man), that might imply the small coffee molecules were accumulated in RAW 264.7 cells after DCE-10 treatment and produce synergistic cytokine effects for innate immunity activation and anti-inflammatory reaction concurrently.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.279-283
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• 2011

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in induction of innate immune responses. The activation of TLRs triggers inflammatory responses that are essential for host defense against invading pathogens. Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) extracted from cruciferous vegetables has an effect on anti-inflammatory therapy. Dysregulated activation of nuclear factor-${\kappa}$B (NF-${\kappa}$B), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been shown to play important roles in the development of certain inflammatory disease. To evaluate the therapeutic potential of PEITC, NF-${\kappa}$B activation and COX-2 and iNOS expression induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS, TLR4 agonist), polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly[I:C], TLR3 agonist), 2 kDa macrophageactivating lipopeptide (MALP-2, TLR2 and TLR6 agonist) or oligodeoxynucleotide 1668 (ODN1668, TLR9 agonist) were examined. PEITC inhibits the activation of NF-${\kappa}$B induced by LPS or Poly[I:C] but not by MALP-2 or ODN1668. PEITC also suppressed the iNOS expression induced by LPS or Poly[I:C]. However, PEITC did not suppress COX-2 expression induced by LPS, Poly[I:C], MALP-2, or ODN1668. These results suggest that PEITC has the specific mechanism for antiinflammatory responses.