title: Pinoresinol from the fruits of Forsythia koreana inhibits inflammatory responses in LPS-activated microglia.
abstract: The activation of microglia plays an important role in a variety of brain disorders by the excessive production of inflammatory mediators such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and proinflammatory cytokines. We investigated here whether pinoresinol isolated from the fruits of Forsythia koreana Nakai inhibits the inflammatory responses in LPS-activated microglia. Pinoresinol inhibited the production of NO, PGE(2), TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 in LPS-activated primary microglia. Also, pinoresinol attenuated mRNA and protein levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and proinflammatory cytokines in LPS-activation. However, most of these inhibitory effects of pinoresinol have been mediated by extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation and the NF-kappaB dependent. The results suggest that pinoresinol attenuates inflammatory responses of microglia and could be potentially useful in modulation of inflammatory status in brain disorders.
authors.affiliation: Oriental Medicine R&D Center, Dongguk University, Gyeongju 780-714, South Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Ramalingam
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahesh
authors.forename: Jong Gu
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Shik
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong-Ki
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D031657:Forsythia; D005663:Furans / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005911:Gliosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D017705:Lignans / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D016207:Cytokines; D005663:Furans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D017705:Lignans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D015232:Dinoprostone; C103298:pinoresinol