• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.33 no.8
• /
• pp.998-1005
• /
• 2023

Streptococcus salivarius is a beneficial bacterium in oral cavity, and some strains of this bacterium are known to be probiotics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of S. salivarius G7 lipoteichoic acid (LTA) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and LTA of periodontopathogens. The surface molecules of S. salivarius G7 was extracted, and single- or co-treated on human monocytic cells with LPS and LTA of periodontopathogens. The induction of cytokine expression was evaluated by real-time PCR and ELISA. After labeling fluorescence on LPS and LTA of periodontopathogens, it was co-treated with S. salivarius LTA to the cell. The bound LPS and LTA were measured by a flow cytometer. Also, the biding assay of the LPS and LTA to CD14 and LPS binding protein (LBP) was performed. The surface molecules of S. salivarius G7 did not induce the expression of inflammatory cytokines, and S. salivarius G7 LTA inhibited the inflammatory cytokines induced by LPS and LTA of periodontopathogens. S. salivarius G7 LTA inhibited the binding of its LPS and LTA to cells. Also, S. salivarius G7 LTA blocked the binding of its LPS and LTA to CD14 and LBP. S. salivarius G7 has an inhibitory effect on inflammation induced by LPS or LTA of periodontopathogens, and may be a candidate probiotics for prevention of periodontitis.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2021.04a
• /
• pp.55-55
• /
• 2021

Hibiscus hamabo is a deciduous shrub that grows around salt marshes and is considered a semi-mangrove plant found in Asia. There are no studies on the biological activity of H. hamabo except for studies on the anthocyanin content. We investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of H. hamabo extract (HHE) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. As nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) induced by LPS moves into the nucleus, inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inflammatory cytokines are promoted and the inflammatory reaction begins. The nitric oxide (NO) production decreased by the treatment of HHE. Moreover, mRNA levels of inflammation-related cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β, were significantly suppressed by HHE. Similarly, the expressions of iNOS and COX-2 were also decreased. The phosphorylation of p65, a subunit of NF-κB, was suppressed by HHE. As a result, HHE can be used as an effective natural material for the anti-inflammatory agent.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2021.04a
• /
• pp.56-56
• /
• 2021

Nypa fruticans Wurmb is a mangrove plant belonging to Araceae family. N. fruticans is typically found in Southeast Asia, and in some parts of Queensland, Australia. N. fruticans has phytochemicals, phenolics, and flavonoids. In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of the ethyl acetate fraction of N. fruticans (ENF) on the production and expression of cytokines and inflammatory mediators through the major signal transduction pathways. ENF attenuated the level of cytokines in a dose-dependent manner and decreased the production of nitric oxide (NO). ENF decreased the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) via alleviating transcription of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) by an inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B (IκB) degradation. Furthermore, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways (ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and p38) are known to be involved in the inflammatory response. Phosphorylations of ERK1/2, JNK1/2, and p38 were significantly decreased compared with the ENF-untreated control. Conclusively, ENF was related to alleviating various pro-inflammatory mediators through IκB/NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways, including p65 translocation to the nucleus.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.15.1-15.10
• /
• 2021

Abnormal inflammatory responses are closely associated with intestinal microbial dysbiosis. Oral administration of Qmatrix-diabetes-mellitus complex (QDMC), an Aloe gel-based formula, has been reported to improve inflammation in type 2 diabetic mice; however, the role of the gut microbiota in ameliorating efficacy of QDMC remains unclear. We investigated the effect of QDMC on the gut microbiota in a type 2 diabetic aged mouse model that was administered a high-fat diet. Proinflammatory (TNF-α and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4 and IL-10) cytokine levels in the fat were normalized via oral administration of QDMC, and relative abundances of Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, Ruminococcus, and Mucispirillum were simultaneously significantly increased. The abundance of these bacteria was correlated to the expression levels of cytokines. Our findings suggest that the immunomodulatory activity of QDMC is partly mediated by the altered gut microbiota composition.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.256-262
• /
• 2024

Blueberry (BB), fruit of Vacciniumi, has been hailed as an antioxidant superfood. BB is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, phenolic acids and known to have a variety of pharmacological actions. The purpose of this work is to clarify the anti-inflammatory mechanism of BB in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW264.7 macrophage. We explored the effects of BB on the production of inflammatory cytokines, prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophage. Moreover, to investigate the molecular mechanisms by BB, we evaluated whether BB modulate nuclear factor-kappa B (NF)-kB pathway and caspase- 1 activation. The findings of this work demonstrated that BB alleviated the LPS-enhanced inflammatory cytokines and PGE₂, as well as COX-2 levels. Additionally, we demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of BB occurs due to the attenuation of IκB-α degradation, NF-kB translocation and caspase-1 activation. Conclusively, these findings provide evidence that BB may be useful agents in the treatment of inflammation.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.151-160
• /
• 2002

Background: Nowadays asthma is considered to be an inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Production of cytokines by bronchial epithelial cells may contribution to the local accumulation of inflammatory cells in patients with bronchial asthma. In many recent studies molecular biological methods have been used to investigate the role of cytokines in pathogenesis and new therapeutic targets of asthma. Objectives: We aimed to identify the clinical effects of Chuongsangboha-tang and the effects of Chuongsangboha-tang on serum cytokines in asthmatic patients. Materials and Methods: The subjects consisted of 36 patients with asthma who had been treated with Chuongsangboha-tang for four weeks. Chuongsangboha-tang is an herbal decoction which has been used of the traditional therapeutic agent of asthma. PFT, Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA), blood eosinophil, serum IgE, Serum IL-4, IL-5, IFN- were checked before and 4 weeks after treatments. Results: Treatment with Chuongsangboha-tang for four weeks resulted in significant increase in FEV1.0%, PEFR%, QLQAKA. The blood eosinophil, serum IgE, IL-4 and IL-5 in asthmatic patients increased significantly compared to the normal control group, while the serum IFN-decreased significantly. Conclusions: This study shows that Chuongsangboha-tang has effects on improvement of pulmonary function and quality of life in asthmatic patients. Obviously, further research concerning this is still necessary.

• Natural Product Sciences
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.322-327
• /
• 2007

Fresh Rehmanniae radix is known as a traditional medicine with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. However, whether Rehmanniae radix attenuates autoimmune inflammation in lupus models characterized by T cell-dependent autoimmune disease including overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines, loss of T cell tolerance, and B cell hyperactivity remains unclear. We investigated the effect of fresh Rehmanniae radix methanol extracts (RGMeOH) on the in vitro overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines by immune cells from pristaneinduced lupus BALB/c mice. These results showed that RGMeOH remarkably attenuated Con A-increased overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-2, IFN-${\gamma}$, IL-6 and IL-10 by splenocytes from pristaneinduced lupus mice. RGMeOH greatly reduced LPS-induced production of TNF-${\alpha}$ by splenic macrophages from pristane-induced lupus mice, while significantly enhanced LPS-induced production of IL-10 but did not alter IL-6 by splenic macrophages and splenocytes. These findings suggest that RGMeOH may ameliorate lupus systemic inflammatory autoimmunity via down-regulation of TNF-${\alpha}$ and T cell-dependent cytokine production.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.55 no.3
• /
• pp.295-304
• /
• 2017

Opisthorchis viverrini infection induces chronic inflammation, and a minor proportion of infected individuals develop advanced periductal fibrosis (APF) and cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Inflammatory cytokines and/or their gene polymorphisms may link to these biliary pathologies. We therefore investigated associations among cytokine gene polymorphisms and cytokine production in 510 Thai cases infected with O. viverrini who presented with APF+ or APF-, as established by abdominal ultrasonography as well as in patients diagnosed with CCA. Levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were determined in culture supernatants after stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with O. viverrini excretory-secretory (ES) products. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, IFN-${\gamma}$, LT-${\alpha}$, and TNF-${\alpha}$ were significantly increased in CCA patients compared with non-CCA (APF- and APF+) cases. Polymorphisms in genes encoding IL-$1{\beta}$-511C/T, IL-6-174G/C, IFN-${\gamma}$+874T/A, LT-${\alpha}$+252A/G, and TNF-${\alpha}$-308G/A were then investigated by using PCR-RFLP or allele specific-PCR (AS-PCR) analyses. In the CCA cases, LT-${\alpha}$+252A/G and TNF-${\alpha}$-308G/A heterozygous and homozygous variants showed significantly higher levels of these cytokines than the wild type. By contrast, levels of cytokines in wild type of IFN-${\gamma}$+874T/A were significantly higher than the variants in CCA cases. IFN-${\gamma}$+874T/A polymorphisms were associated with advanced periductal fibrosis, whereas IL-6-174G/C polymorphisms were associated with CCA. To our knowledge, these findings provide the first demonstration that O. viverrini infected individuals carrying several specific cytokine gene polymorphisms are susceptible to develop fibrosis and CCA.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.464-469
• /
• 2007

The present study describes the preliminary evaluation of the anti-inflammatory activities of Artemisia fukudo extracts. The 80% ethanol extract of A. fukudo was sequentially fractionated with n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethylacetate, and butanol. In order to effectively screen for anti-inflammatory agents, we first examined the extracts’ inhibitory effects on the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines activated with lipopolysaccharide. Moreover, we examined the inhibitory effects of the A. fukudo extracts on pro-inflammatory factors (NO, iNOS, COX-2, and $PGE_{2}$) in murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. The protein levels were determined by immunoblotting. Of the sequential solvent fractions, the n-hexane and dichloromethane fractions inhibited the mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-$1{\beta}$, and IL-6), production of NO and $PGE_{2}$, and the protein levels of iNOS and COX-2. These results suggest that A. fukudo may have signifIcant effects on inflammatory factors, and may be a potential anti-inflammatory therapeutic plant.

• CELLMED
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.23.1-23.6
• /
• 2016

With the rapid developments in nanotechnology, an increasing number of nanomaterials have been applied in various aspects of our lives. Recently, pharmaceutical nanotechnology with numerous advantages has growingly attracted the attention of many researchers. Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are nanomaterials that are widely used in many fields including diagnostics, therapeutics, drug-delivery systems, electronics, cosmetics, sunscreens, coatings, ceramic products, paints, and food additives, due to their magnetic, catalytic, semiconducting, anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, ultraviolet-protective, and binding properties. The present review focused on the recent research works concerning role of ZnO-NP on inflammation. Several studies have reported that ZnO-NP induces inflammatory reaction through the generation of reactive oxygen species by oxidative stress and production of inflammatory cytokines by activation of nuclear factor-${\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$). Meanwhile, other researchers reported that ZnO-NP exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines and the activation of $NF-{\kappa}B$, caspase-1, $I{\kappa}B$ $kinase{\beta}$, receptor interacting protein2, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Previous studies reported that size and shape of nanoparticles, surfactants used for nanoparticles protection, medium, and experimental conditions can also affect cellular signal pathway. This review indicated that the anti-inflammatory effectiveness of ZnO-NP was determined by the nanoparticle size as well as various experimental conditions. Therefore, the author suggests that pharmaceutical therapy with the ZnO-NP is one of the possible strategies to overcome the inflammatory reactions. However, further studies should be performed to maximize the anti-inflammatory effect of ZnO-NP to apply as a potential agent in biomedical applications.