title: Anti-inflammatory activity of the methanol extract of moutan cortex in LPS-activated Raw264.7 cells.
abstract: Moutan Cortex (MCE) has been used in traditional medicine to remove heat from the blood, promote blood circulation and alleviate blood stasis. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of MCE on regulatory mechanisms of cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) involved in immunological activity of Raw264.7 cells. Cells were pretreated with methanolic extracts of MCE, and further cultured for an appropriate time after lipopolyssacharide (LPS) addition. During the entire experimental period, 0.1 and 0.3 mg ml(-1) of MCE had no cytotoxicity. In these concentrations, MCE inhibited the production of NO and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and phosphorylated inhibitor of kappa Bal pha (p-I kappa Bal pha), and the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B). MCE also reduced the concentration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the Raw264.7 cells that were activated by LPS. These results demonstrate that MCE has anti-inflammatory effects through the inhibition of iNOS and COX-2 expression by suppressing the phosphorylation of I-kappa Bal pha and the activation of NF-kappa B.
authors.affiliation: College of Oriental Medicine and Research Center for Biomedical Resources of Oriental Medicine, Daegu Haany University Daegu 706-828, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chun
authors.forename: Seon Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.forename: Sang Gon
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sook Jahr
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jong Rok
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang Chan
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kim