Bamboo leaves (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex J. Houz (Poacea)) have a long
history of
food and medical applications in
Asia, including
Japan and
Korea. They have been used as a
traditional medicine for centuries. We investigated the mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of a bamboo leaf extract (BLE) on
tumor necrosis factor-alpha (
TNF-alpha)-induced
monocyte adhesion in
human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Exposure of HUVECs to BLE did not inhibit
cell viability or cause morphological changes at concentrations ranging from 1 microg/ml to 1 mg/ml.
Treatment with 0.1 mg/ml BLE caused 63% inhibition of
monocyte adhesion in
TNF-alpha-activated HUVECs, which was associated with 38.4%
suppression of
vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 expression. Furthermore,
TNF-alpha-induced
reactive oxygen species generation was decreased to 47.9% in BLE treated
TNF-alpha-activated HUVECs. BLE (0.05 mg/ml) also caused about 50% inhibition of
interleukin-6 secretion from
lipopolysaccharide-stimulated
monocyte. The results indicate that BLE may be clinically useful as an anti-inflammatory or
anti-oxidant for
human cardiovascular disease including
atherosclerosis.