title: Taraxacum officinale inhibits tumor necrosis factor-alpha production from rat astrocytes.
abstract: Substance P (SP) can stimulate production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) from astrocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of Taraxacum officinale (TO) on the production of TNF-alpha from primary cultures of rat astrocytes. TO (100 and 1000 microg/ml) significantly inhibited the TNF-alpha production by astrocytes stimulated with LPS and SP. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) has been shown to elevate TNF-alpha production from LPS-stimulated astrocytes while having no effect on astrocytes in the absence of LPS. We therefore examined whether IL-1 mediated inhibition of TNF-alpha production from primary astrocytes by TO. Treatment of TO (100 and 1000 microg/ml) to astrocytes stimulated with both LPS and SP decreased IL-1 production significantly. Moreover, the production of TNF-alpha by LPS and SP in astrocytes was progressively inhibited with increasing amount of IL-1 neutralizing antibody. Our results suggest that TO may inhibit TNF-alpha production by inhibiting IL-1 production and that TO has an antiinflammatory activity in the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Center of Oriental Medicinal Science, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Chonbuk, South Korea. hmkim@wonnms.wonkwang.ac.kr
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lyu
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019659:Asteraceae; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D051381:Rats; D013373:Substance P / Q000494:pharmacology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D013373:Substance P