title: Bitter gourd suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses.
abstract: Bitter gourd ( Momordica charantia L.) is a popular tropical vegetable in Asian countries. Previously it was shown that bitter gourd placenta extract suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced TNFalpha production in RAW 264.7 macrophage-like cells. Here it is shown that the butanol-soluble fraction of bitter gourd placenta extract strongly suppresses LPS-induced TNFalpha production in RAW 264.7 cells. Gene expression analysis using a fibrous DNA microarray showed that the bitter gourd butanol fraction suppressed expression of various LPS-induced inflammatory genes, such as those for TNF, IL1alpha, IL1beta, G1p2, and Ccl5. The butanol fraction significantly suppressed NFkappaB DNA binding activity and phosphorylation of p38, JNK, and ERK MAPKs. Components in the active fraction from bitter gourd were identified as 1-alpha-linolenoyl-lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), 2-alpha-linolenoyl-LPC, 1-lynoleoyl-LPC, and 2-linoleoyl-LPC. Purified 1-alpha-linolenoyl-LPC and 1-linoleoyl-LPC suppressed the LPS-induced TNFalpha production of RAW 264.7 cells at a concentration of 10 microg/mL.
authors.affiliation: National Food Research Institute, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8642, Japan. kobori@affrc.go.jp
authors.forename: Masuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobori
authors.forename: Hirosuke
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohnishi-Kameyama
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Tatsunobu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Yukari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akimoto
authors.forename: Saeko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masumoto
authors.forename: Chizuko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yukizaki
authors.forename: Yoshikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hoshi
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deguchi
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology; D000440:Butanols; D002460:Cell Line; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines / Q000032:analysis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D029777:Momordica charantia / Q000737:chemistry*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000440:Butanols; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D008244:Lysophosphatidylcholines; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003094:Collagen