• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.27 no.11
• /
• pp.1315-1323
• /
• 2017

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant (Curcuma longa (CL)) of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. A yellow-pigmented fraction isolated from the rhizomes of CL contains curcuminoids belonging to the dicinnamoyl methane group. Curcumin is an important active ingredient responsible for the biological activity of CL. However, CL is not usually used as a food source due to its bitter taste. The present study was designed to determine the effect of the CL fermented by Rhizopus oryzae (FCL) on pro-inflammatory factors such as nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ ($NF-{\kappa}B$), tumor necrosis factor alpha ($TNF-{\alpha}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin $E_2$ ($PGE_2$), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cell line. The cell viability was determined by MTT assay. To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of FCL 80% EtOH extracts, IL-6 and $TNF-{\alpha}$ were measured by ELISA kit. Also, the amount of $NO/PGE_2/NF-{\kappa}B$ was measured using the $NO/PGE_2/NF-{\kappa}B$ detection kit and the iNOS/COX-2 expression was measured by Western blotting. The results showed that the FCL reduced NO, $PGE_2$, iNOS, COX-2, $NF-{\kappa}B$, IL-6 and $TNF-{\alpha}$ production without cytotoxicity. These results suggest that FCL extracts may be a developed the functional food related to anti-inflammation due to the significant effects on inflammatory factors.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.289-295
• /
• 2016

Curcumin is a flavonoid found in the rhizome of the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa L.) and has recently attracted interest because it has numerous biological functions and therapeutic properties. In the present study, we attempted to incorporate curcumin into medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) nanoemulsions (0.15 wt% curcumin, 10 wt% MCT oil, and 10 wt% emulsifiers) with various emulsifiers [polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monolaurate (Tween-20), sorbitan monooleate (SM), and soy lecithin (SL)]. The physicochemical properties of the nanoemulsions including the Ostwald ripening stability were investigated. The initial droplet size was found to be 89.08 nm for the nanoemulsion with 10 wt% Tween-20 (control), and when Tween-20 was partially replaced with SM and SL, the size decreased: 73.43 nm with 4 wt% SM+6 wt% Tween-20 and 67.68 nm with 4 wt% SL+6 wt% Tween-20 (prepared at 15,000 psi). When the nanoemulsions were stored for 28 days at room temperature, the droplet size increased as the storage time increased. The largest increase was observed for the control nanoemulsion, followed by the 4 wt% SL+6 wt% Tween-20 and 4 wt% SM+6 wt% Tween-20 systems. The Turbiscan dispersion stability results strongly supported the relationship between droplet size and storage time. The time-dependent increase in droplet size was attributed to the Ostwald ripening phenomenon. Thus, the Ostwald ripening stability of curcumin-loaded MCT nanoemulsions with Tween-20 was considerably improved by partially replacing the Tween-20 with SM or SL. In addition, curcumin may have acted as an Ostwald ripening inhibitor.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
• /
• 2002.05b
• /
• pp.88.2-98
• /
• 2002

A wide arry of naturally occurring substances particularly those present in dietary and medicinal plants, have been reported to possess substantial cancer chemopreventive properties. Certain phytochemicals retain strong antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties which appear to contribute to their chemopreventive or chemoprotective activities. Inducible cyclooxygenase(COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are important enzymes that mediate inflammatory processes. There is some evidence that expression of both COX-2 and iNOS is co-regulated by the eukaryotic transcription factor NF-$textsc{k}$B. Increased expression of COX-2 and/or iNOS has been associated with pathophysiology of certain types of human cancers as well as inflammatory diseases. Since inflammation is closely linked to tumor promotion, substances with potent anti-inflammatory activies are anticipated to exert chemopreventive effects on carcinogenesis, particularly in the promotion stage. An example is curcumin, a yellow pigment of turmeric (Curcuma longa L., Zingiberaceae), that strongly occurring diaryl heptanoids structurally related to curcumin have substantial anti-tumor promotional activities in two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis. Thus, yakuchinone A [1-(4'-hydroxy-3'-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenyl-3heptanone] and yakuchinone B [1-(4'-hydroxy-3'methoxyphenyl)-7-phenylhept-1-en-3-one] present in Alpinia oxyphylla Miquel (Zingiberacease) attenuate phorbol ester-induced inflammation and papilloma formation in female ICR mice. These diarylheptanoids also suppressed phorbol ester-induced activation of epdermal ornithine decarboxylase and its mRNA expression when applied onto shaven backs of mice. Yakuchinone A and B as well as curcumin inhibited phorbol ester-induced expression of COX-2 and iNOS and their mRNA in mouse skin via inactivation of NF-$textsc{k}$B. Capsaicin, a major pungent ingredient of red pepper also attenuated phorbol ester-induced NF-$textsc{k}$B activation. Similar suppression of COX-2 and iNOS and down-regulation of NF-$textsc{k}$B activation for its DNA binding were observed with the ginsenosied Rg3 and the ethanol extract of Artemisia asiatica. We have also found that certain anti-inflammatory phytochemicals exert inhibitory effects on phorbol ester-induced COX-2 expression and NF-$textsc{k}$B activation in immortalized human breast epithelial (MCF-10A) cells in culture. One of the plausible mechanisms undelying inhibition by aforementioned phytochemicals of phorbol ester-induced NF-$textsc{k}$B activation involves interference with degragation of the inhibitory unit, I$textsc{k}$Ba, which blocks subsequent nuclear translocation of the functionally active p65 subunit of NF-$textsc{k}$B. the activation of epidermal NF-$textsc{k}$B by phorbol ester and subsequent induction of COX-2 hence appear to play an important role in intracellular signaling pathwasy leading to tumor promotion and targeted inhibition of NF-$textsc{k}$B may provide a new promising cancer chemopreventive strategy.