• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.74-82
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• 2009

Pharmacological investigations were carried out with aqueous methanolic extract (AME) of Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq. (Meliaceae) leaves. Acute toxicity studies revealed that the $LD_{50}$ dose of AME was 600 mg/kg, i.p. AME was found to possess significant anti-inflammatory activity in acute, sub-chronic and chronic models of inflammation. AME selectively inhibited cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 activity, which is involved in arachidonic acid metabolism and biosynthesis of prostaglandins under inflammatory conditions. Treatment with AME significantly enhanced total peritoneal cell count and the number of macrophages in normal mice, which revealed that AME may also alter the immune response along with its anti-inflammatory effect. The saponins or the alkaloids present in AME may be responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.95-95
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• 2002

Cyclooxygenases (COXs) are key enzymes in the conversion of arachidonic acid into prostanoids, which are involved in cell proliferation and inflammation. Two distinct COXS have been identified: COX-l which is constitutively expressed and COX-2 which is induced by different products such as tumor promoters or growth factors.(omitted)

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.229-234
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• 2007

In macrophages, nitric oxide (NO) is released as an inflammatory mediator and has been proposed to be an important modulator of many pathophysiological conditions including inflammation. In this study, we have examined the inhibition effects of NO production by 85% methanol extract of the flower of Pueraria thunbergiana (PF) in mouse macrophages. Extract of PF (1, 10, 100 ${\mu}g/ml$) inhibited NO production, inducible NO synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in interferon-g and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse peritoneal macrophages and it had no cytotoxicity. These data suggest that 85% methanol extract of PF might be useful in controlling macrophages mediated inflammatory disease.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.226-226
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2001.10a
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• pp.31-32
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• 2001

A wide array of phenolic substances, particularly those present in dietary and medicinal plants, have been reported to possess substantial anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic activities. The majority of naturally occurring phenolics retain antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties which appear to contribute to their chemopreventive or chemoprotective activity. Inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are important enzymes that mediate inflammatory processes.(omitted)

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.145.1-145.1
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• 2003

Several lines of recent evidences have shown that several pro-inflammatory genes or mediators, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 and cytokines (e.g., tumor necrosis factor $\alpha$ and interleukin-1$\beta$), are strongly expressed in the ischemic brain. Inflammation is now recognized as a significant contributing mechanism in cerebral ischemia because anti-inflammatory compounds or inhibitors of iNOS and cyclooxygenase-2 have been proven to reduce ischemic brain damage. (omitted)

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.607-612
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• 2001

Endogenous carbon monoxide (CO) shares with nitric oxide (NO) a role as a putative neural messenger in the brain. Both gases are believed to modulate CNS function via an increase in cytoplasmic cGMP concentrations secondary to the activation of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). Recently CO and NO were proposed as a possible mediator of febrile response in hypothalamus. NO has been reported to activate both the constitutive and inducible isoform of the cyclooxygenase (COX). Thus, we investigated whether CO arising from heme catabolism by heme oxygenate (HO) is involved in the febrile response via the activation of COX in the hypothalamus. $PGE_2$ which is a final mediator of febrile response released from primary cultured hypothalamic cells was taken as a marker of COX activity. $PGE_2$ concentration was measured with EIA kits. Exogenous CO (CO-saturated medium) and hemin (a substrate and potent inducer of HO) evoked an increase in $PGE_2$ release from hypothalamic cells, and these effects were blocked by methylene blue (an inhibitor of sGC). And membrane permeable cGMP analogue, dibutyryl-cGMP elicited significant increases in $PGE_2$release. These results suggest that there may be a functional link between HO and COX enzymatic activities. The gaseous product of hemin through the HO pathway, CO, might play a role through the modulation of the COX activity in the hypothalamus.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.113-118
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• 2009

Actin cytoskeletal architecture is believed to be a crucially important modulator of chondrocyte phenotype. 2DG(2-Dexoy-D-glucose) induces reorganization of actin cytoskeletal architecture in chondrocytes. In this study, we have investigated the effects of 2DG on dedifferentiation and inflammation via reorganization of cytoskeletal architecture in rabbit articular chondrocytes, with a focus on p38 kinase pathway. Treatment of 2DG alone reduced type II collagen and COX-2 expression in chondrocytes. But, 2DG reduced type II collagen was recovered by CD, disruptor of actin cytoskeletal architecture, whereas did not affect on COX-2 expression and production of $PGE_2$ compared with 2DG alone treated cells. Treatment of 2DG with JAS, inducer of cytoskeletal architecture polymerization, accelerated reduction of type II collagen expression and synthesis of proteoglycan but did not affect on COX-2 expression and production of $PGE_2$. Also, 2DG stimulated activation of p38 kinase. This result showed that 2DG regulates type II collagen but not cyclooxygenase-2 expression through reorganization of cytoskeletal architecture via p38 kinase pathway in rabbit articular chondrocytes.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.149-153
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• 2017

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-mediated prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$) plays a key role in development and progression of inflammatory responses and Porphyromonas gingivalis is a common endodontic pathogen. In this study, we investigated induction of COX-2 and $PGE_2$ by P. gingivalis in human dental pulp cells (HDPCs). P. gingivalis increased expression of COX-2, but not that of COX-1. Increased levels of $PGE_2$ were released from P. gingivalis-infected HDPCs and this $PGE_2$ increase was blocked by celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor. P. gingivalis activated all three types of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). P. gingivalis-induced activation of nuclear $factor-{\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$) was demonstrated by the results of phosphorylation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ p65 and degradation of inhibitor of ${\kappa}B-{\alpha}$ ($I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$). Pharmacological inhibition of each of the three types of MAPKs and $NF-{\kappa}B$ substantially attenuated P. gingivalis-induced $PGE_2$ production. These results suggest that P. gingivalis should promote endodontic inflammation by stimulating dental pulp cells to produce $PGE_2$.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.86-91
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• 2009

In our ongoing search for biological components from the Korea endemic plants, the MeOH extract of Ailanthus altissima leaves (Simaroubaceae) showed cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) dual inhibitory activity by assessing their effects on the production of prostaglandin $D_2$ ($PGD_2$) and leukotriene $C_4$ ($LTC_4$) in mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs). In further study, eight compounds, squalene (1), ${\beta}$-sitosterol (2), scopoletin (3), quercetin (4), luteolin (5), astragalin (6), scopolin (7), and daucosterol (8) were isolated, the chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical and spectroscopic data and by comparison with those of published literatures. Among the compounds, 2, 4, and 5 strongly inhibited both the COX-2-dependent PGD2 generation with $IC_{50}$ values of 2.6, 7.3 and 2.5 ${\mu}M$, respectively and the generation of $LTC_4$ in the 5-LOX dependent phase with $IC_{50}$ values of 2.0, 5.1 and 1.8 ${\mu}M$, respectively, which suggest that the anti-inflammatory activity of A. altissima might occur in part via the inhibition of both $PGD_2$ and $LTC_4$ generation by 2, 4 and 5.