title: Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Superbacterial Properties of Sulforaphane from Shepherd's Purse.
abstract: Shepherd's purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik., has been considered a health food for centuries in Asia and is known to contain the isothiocyanate compound sulforaphane. In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of a sulforaphane-containing solution (SCS) isolated from shepherd's purse. SCS had significant anti-inflammatory activity indicated by the decreased levels of nitric oxide (NO), cytokines (interleukin 1β [IL-1β], IL-6, and IL-10), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. In addition, SCS decreased the inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) levels, which confirmed the anti-inflammatory activity of SCS. Further, SCS inhibited vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and Bacillus anthracis. The minimal inhibitory concentration was 250 µg/ml for VRE and 1,000 µg/ml for B. anthracis. Taken together, these data indicate that SCS has potential anti-inflammatory and anti-superbacterial properties, and thus it can be used as a functional food or pharmaceutical.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-861, Korea.
authors.forename: Woo Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-861, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Keun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-861, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Kuk
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-861, Korea.
authors.forename: Uy Dong
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 156-861, Korea.
authors.forename: Wonyong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Anti-inflammatory effect; Antimicrobial activity; Cytokine; RAW 264.7 murine macrophages; Shepherd's purse; Sulforaphane