• CELLMED
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.7.1-7.6
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• 2023

Raphanus sativus L. has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity. However, the anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of action of the Raphanus sativus L. seeds (RSS) with or without oil are still unknown. This study was undertaken to investigate the in-vitro anti-inflammatory effect with or without oil in the RSS on RAW 264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results showed the suppressed LPS-induced secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO), inflammatory cytokine (IL-6, TNF-α). Additionally, a decrease in protein expression of iNOS was observed, but nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 was not inhibited. To elucidate the underlying mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effect of RSS, the involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways was examined. We also found that RSS blocked LPS-induced phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK) signaling but did not affect the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2. These results suggest that RSS may have potential as an anti-inflammatory agent through the inhibition of LPS-induced inflammatory cytokine production via regulation of the JNK pathway.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.590-599
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• 2005

Object : Cigarette smoking is a major cause of mucus hypersecretion, which is a pathophysiological feature of many inflammatory airway diseases. Mucins, which are an important part of the airway mucus, are synthesized from the Muc gene in airway epithelial cells. However, the signaling pathways for cigarette smoke-induced mucin synthesis are unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the signal pathway for smoking induced Muc5ac gene expression. Methods : A549 cells were cultured and transiently transfected with the Muc5ac promoter fragment. These cells were stimulated with 5% cigarette smoke extract (CSE) alone or with CSE after a pretreatment with various signal transduction pathway inhibitors (AG1478, PD98059 and SB203580). The Muc5ac promoter activity was examined using the luciferase reporter system, and the level of phosphorylated EGFR, ERK1/2, p38 MAPK and JNK were all examined using Western blot analysis. Muc5ac mRNA expression was also examined using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR). Results : 1. The peak level of luciferase activity of the Muc5ac promoter was observed at 5% concentration and after 3 hours of incubation with the CSE. The level of EGFR phosphorylation and the luciferase activity of the transfected cells caused by the CSE were significantly suppressed by AG1478 or PD98059 (P<0.01). 2. CSE phosphorylated ERK1/2 or p38 MAPK but not JNK. The Muc5ac mRNA expression level was increased by the CSE but that was suppressed by PD98059 or AG1478. 3. The CSE-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was blocked by PD98059 and that of p38 MAPK was blocked by either PD98059 or SB203580. Either PD98059 or SB203580 suppressed the luciferase activity of the transfected cells (P<0.0001). Conclusion : The Muc5ac mRNA expression level was increased by the CSE. The increased CSE-induced transcriptional activity was mediated via EGF receptor activation, which led to ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK phosphorylation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.464-474
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• 2021

Inflammation induced by metabolic syndromes, cancers, injuries, and sepsis can alter cellular metabolism by reducing mitochondrial function via oxidative stress, thereby resulting in neuropathy and muscle atrophy. In this study, we investigated whether butyrate, a short chain fatty acid produced by gut microbiota, could prevent mitochondrial dysfunction and muscle atrophy induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the C2C12 cell line. LPS-activated MAPK signaling pathways increased the levels of the mitochondrial fission signal, p-DRP1 (Ser616), and the muscle atrophy marker, atrogin 1. Interestingly, butyrate significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of JNK and p38 and reduced the atrogin 1 level in LPS-treated C2C12 cells while increasing the phosphorylation of DRP1 (Ser637) and levels of mitofusin2, which are both mitochondrial fusion markers. Next, we investigated the effect of MAPK inhibitors, finding that butyrate had the same effect as JNK inhibition in C2C12 cells. Also, butyrate inhibited the LPS-induced expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4), resulting in decreased PDHE1α phosphorylation and lactate production, suggesting that butyrate shifted glucose metabolism from aerobic glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation. Finally, we found that these effects of butyrate on LPS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction were caused by its antioxidant effects. Thus, our findings demonstrate that butyrate prevents LPS-induced muscle atrophy by improving mitochondrial dynamics and metabolic stress via the inhibition of JNK phosphorylation. Consequently, butyrate could be used to improve LPS-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and myopathy in sepsis.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.457-463
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• 2008

The sex steroid hormone estradiol-$17{\beta}(E_2)$ mediate their biological effects on development, differentiation and maintenance of reproductive tract and other target tissue through gene regulation by nuclear steroid receptors. Although the importance of $E_2$ in many physiological process has been reported, but little is known about the effects of $E_2$ on primary cultured chicken hepatocyte. therefore, in the present study, we have examined the effect of $E_2$ on cell proliferation and it's related signal cascades. $E_2$ increase $[^3H]$-thymidine incorporation in time-(${\leq}8hr$) and dose-($10^{-10}M$)dependent manner and treatment of $E_2$ increased the phosphorylation of p44/43 MAPKs(p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase) and JNK(c-Jun N-terminal kinase) in a time dependent manner. In addition, PD98059(p44/42 blocker, $10^{-5}M$), SP600125(JNK blocker, $10^{-6}M$) blocked the estrogen-induced increase in $[^3H]$-thymidine incorporation. In conclusion, $E_2$ stimulates the proliferation of primary cultured chicken hepatocytes and this action is mediated by p44/42 MAPKs and JNK signal transduction pathway.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.293-300
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• 2012

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) are important inflammatory mediators implicated in pathogenesis of inflammation and certain types of human cancers. The present study was designed to determine whether Red Ginseng (RG) could modulate $I{\kappa}B$-kinase, iNOS and COX-2 gene expression and immune responses in RAW 264.7 macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RG extract suppressed the expression of LPS-induced $I{\kappa}B$, iNOS, COX-2, and immune responses in a dose-dependent manner. It also showed an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting NF-${\kappa}B$ immune response induced by LPS treatment. Inhibitory effect of RG on LPS-induced inflammation was mediated by suppressed phosphorylation of ERK, JNK and p38 through the regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway leading to a decreased production of NO, iNOS, COX-2 and NF-${\kappa}B$. The results implied the role of RG as an inflammation regulator and its possible application for curing inflammatory diseases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.899-907
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• 2022

Quercetin is one of bio-flavonoids which are abundant in fruits and vegetables and has been reported to have various pharmacological potentials such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, and anti-virus effects. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory effects and its working molecular mecha- nism of quercetin were investigated in mouse macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Quercetin significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in a dose-dependent manner without affecting cell viability and decreased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. In addition, quercetin decreased phosphorylation of p38, JNK, and ERK, and inhibited phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 protein and its inhibitor IκBα indicating that quercetin has the anti-inflammatory effects via regulation of MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathway. We also detected expression changes of four kinds of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes (CSF2, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) with quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that quercetin decreased the expression of four pro-inflammatory genes in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Overall, our results showed that quercetin effectively suppressed inflammation responses induced by LPS in RAW264.7 cells via regulating MAPK and NF-κB pathway and down-regulating the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2013

Parkin is known to be a tumor suppressor protein. Previously, we determined that parkin expression restores susceptibility to TNF-${\alpha}$-induced death of HeLa cells, a human cervical cancer cell line resistant to TNF-${\alpha}$-induced cell death. MMP-3 is a zinc-dependent protease recently reported to activate intracellular apoptotic signaling. In this study we examined the regulation of MMP-3 expression by parkin in TNF-${\alpha}$-treated HeLa cells. Furthermore, we investigated the signaling pathway involved in parkin-induced expression of MMP-3. We found that HeLa cells exhibit low levels of MMP-3 but is induced after introduction of the parkin gene into HeLa cells. Furthermore, MMP-3 expression increased further when parkin expressing cells were treated with TNF-${\alpha}$. Using chemical inhibitors of cell signaling pathways, we found that MEK-1 (PD98059), PI3K (LY294002), p38 MAPK (SB203580), and JNK inhibitors alleviated parkin-induced up-regulation of MMP-3. Finally, we show that TNF-${\alpha}$-induced cell death in parkin expressing cells is inhibited by using a MMP-3 inhibitor. These results suggest that parkin expression induces prolonged expression of MMP-3 via MEK-1, PI3K, MAPK, and JNK pathway in HeLa cells allowing the HeLa cells to become sensitive to TNF-${\alpha}$-induced cell death. These results implicate a role of MMP-3 in parkin-induced cell death in TNF-${\alpha}$ treated HeLa cells.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10819-10824
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• 2015

Aims: To explore the effect and probable mechanism of a synthetic retinoid 4-amino-2-tri-fluoromethylphenyl ester (ATPR) on apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Materials and Methods: MTT assays were performed to measure the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with different concentrations of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and ATPR. Morphologic changes were observed by microscopy. The apoptosis rates and cell cycling of MDA-MB-231 cells treated with ATRA or ATPR were assessed using flow cytometry analysis. Expression of retinoic acid receptor and phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, p38 proteins were detected by Western blotting. Results: Treatment of the cells with the addition of $15{\mu}mol/L$ ATPR for 48 h clearly demonstrated reduced cell numbers and deformed cells, whereas no changes in the number and morphology were observed after treatment with ATRA. The apoptosis rate was 33.2% after breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were treated by ATPR ($15{\mu}mol/L$) whereas ATRA ($15{\mu}mol/L$) had no apoptotic effect. ATPR inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and p38 while ATRA had no significant effect. ATPR inhibited the expression of BiP and increased the expression of Chop at the protein level compared with control groups, ATRA and ATPR both decreased the protein expression of $RXR{\alpha}$, ATPR reduced the protein expression of $RAR{\beta}$ and $RXR{\beta}$ while ATRA did not decrease $RAR{\beta}$ or $RXR{\beta}$. Conclusions: ATPR could induce apoptosis of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, possible mechanisms being binding to $RAR{\beta}/RXR{\beta}$ heterodimers, then activation of ER stress involving the MAPK pathway.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.243-251
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• 2013

Objectives : Bower Actinidia has been widely used for treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as jaundice, cystolithiasis. However, the mechanism of its anti-inflammatory activity has not been clarified. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of Bower Actinidia pharmacopuncture extract(BA) on LPS-induced inflammation. Methods : The effect of BA was analyzed by ELISA, RT-PCR and Western blotting in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Results : We found that BA suppressed not only the mRNA expression of pre-inflammatory cytokines, cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), but also the phosphorylation of ERK, JNK and p38. Conclusions : These results suggest that BA exerts an anti-inflammatory effect through the regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) pathway, thereby decreasing production of pre-inflammatory cytokines.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.58-64
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• 2015

Activating transcription factor-3 (ATF3) acts as a negative regulator of cytokine production during Gram-negative bacterial infection. A recent study reported that ATF3 provides protection from Streptococcus pneumoniae infection by activating cytokines. However, the mechanism by which S. pneumoniae induces ATF3 after infection is still unknown. In this study, we show that ATF3 was upregulated via Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathways in response to S. pneumoniae infection in vitro. Induction was mediated by TLR4 and TLR2, which are in the TLR family. The expression of ATF3 was induced by pneumolysin (PLY), a potent pneumococcal virulence factor, via the TLR4 pathway. Furthermore, ATF3 induction is mediated by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Thus, this study reveals a potential role of PLY in modulating ATF3 expression, which is required for the regulation of immune responses against pneumococcal infection in macrophages.