ABSTRACT
Anti-inflammatory effects of tormentic acid (TA) were investigated ex vivo and in vivo. TA decreased the paw edema at the 4th and 5thhour after λ-carrageenin (Carr) administration, and increased the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver tissue. TA also significantly attenuated the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) level in the edematous paw at the 5thhour after Carr injection. TA decreased the nitric oxide (NO) levels on the serum level and diminished the serum tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) at the 5thhour after Carr injection. Western blotting revealed that the TA decreased Carr-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expressions. As per results, the anti-inflammatory mechanisms of TA might be correlated to the decrease in the level of TBARS, iNOS, and COX-2 in the edema paw via increasing the activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx in the liver.
ABSTRACT
AIMS OF THE STUDY: Cardiospermum halicacabum (CH) has been used in Chinese medicine for a long time. However, its fingerprint chromatogram, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects and mechanism are still needed to be explored. Therefore, the aims of this study investigated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of CH extracts and its reference compounds ex vivo and in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In HPLC analysis, the fingerprint chromatogram of ethanolic extract of CH (ECH) was established. The effects of ACH (aqueous extract of CH) and ECH extracts were assessed for the antioxidant and LPS-induced NO production in RAW264.7 cells. In vivo anti-inflammatory activities of ECH were evaluated in mouse paw edema induced by λ-carrageenan (Carr). We investigate the anti-inflammatory mechanism of ECH via studies of the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite oxide (NO) in the edema paw. Serum NO and TNF-α were also measured. RESULTS: ECH had better antioxidant activity than that of ACH. In the anti-inflammatory test, ECH inhibited the development of paw edema induced by Carr and increased the activities of CAT, SOD and GPx in the liver tissue. ECH also decreased the level of NO in edematous paw tissue and in serum level, and diminished the level of serum TNF-α at the fifth hour after Carr injection. CONCLUSIONS: ECH exerts anti-inflammatory effects by suppressing TNF-α and NO. The anti-inflammatory mechanism of ECH might be related to the decrement of the level of MDA in the edema paw via increasing the activities of CAT, SOD and GPx in the liver. The results showed that ECH might serve as a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Sapindaceae , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents/isolation & purification , Antioxidants/isolation & purification , Catalase/metabolism , Cell Line , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Edema/blood , Edema/drug therapy , Edema/metabolism , Edema/pathology , Ethnopharmacology , Glutathione Peroxidase/metabolism , Liver/drug effects , Liver/enzymology , Macrophages/drug effects , Macrophages/metabolism , Male , Malondialdehyde/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Nitric Oxide/blood , Phytotherapy , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Plants, Medicinal/chemistry , Sapindaceae/chemistry , Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism , Taiwan , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/bloodABSTRACT
Ergostatrien-3beta-ol (ST1), an active and major ingredient from Antrodia camphorata (AC) submerged whole broth was evaluated for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Treatment of male imprinting control region (ICR) mice with ST1 (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the numbers of acetic-acid-induced writhing response in 10 min. Also, our result showed that ST1 (10 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the formalin-induced pain in the late phase (p < 0.001). In the anti-inflammatory test, ST1 (10 mg/kg) decreased the paw edema at 4 and 5 h after lambda-carrageenin (Carr) administration and increased the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver tissue. We also demonstrated that ST1 significantly attenuated the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the edema paw at 5 h after Carr injection. ST1 (1, 5, and 10 mg/kg) decreased the nitric oxide (NO) levels on both the edema paw and serum level at 5 h after Carr injection. Also, ST1 (5 and 10 mg/kg) diminished the serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) at 5 h after Carr injection. Western blotting revealed that ST1 (10 mg/kg) decreased Carr-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cycloxyclase (COX-2) expressions at 5 h in the edema paw. An intraperitoneal (ip) injection treatment with ST1 also diminished neutrophil infiltration into sites of inflammation, as did indomethacin (Indo). The anti-inflammatory mechanisms of ST1 might be related to the decrease in the level of MDA, iNOS, and COX-2 in the edema paw via increasing the activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx in the liver through the suppression of TNF-alpha and NO.
