ABSTRACT
Harpagophytum procumbens (Pedaliaceae) has been used for the treatment of pain and arthritis. The effect of Harpagophytum procumbens against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation was investigated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) immunoassay, and nitric oxide detection on mouse fibroblast cell line L929. The aqueous extract of Harpagophytum procumbens was shown to suppress PGE(2) synthesis and nitric oxide production by inhibiting lipopolysaccharide-stimulated enhancement of the cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNAs expressions in L929 cells. These results suggest that Harpagophytum procumbens exerts anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects probably by suppressing cyclooxygenase-2 and iNOS expressions.
Subject(s)
Fibroblasts/drug effects , Harpagophytum , Isoenzymes/antagonists & inhibitors , Nitric Oxide Synthase/antagonists & inhibitors , Animals , Cell Line , Cyclooxygenase 2 , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Fibroblasts/enzymology , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic/drug effects , Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic/physiology , Isoenzymes/biosynthesis , Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology , Mice , Nitric Oxide Synthase/biosynthesis , Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II , Plant Extracts/isolation & purification , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases/biosynthesisABSTRACT
To investigate whether bee venom (BV) induces apoptosis, the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase- mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining, flow cytometric analysis, and DNA fragmentation assay were performed on NCI-H1299 lung cancer cells treated with BV. Through morphological and biochemical analyses, it was demonstrated that NCI-H1299 cells treated with BV exhibit several features of apoptosis. In addition, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) immunoassay were performed to verify whether BV possesses an inhibitory effect on the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX) and PGE(2 )synthesis. Expression of COX-2 mRNA and synthesis of PGE(2) were inhibited by BV. These results suggest the possibility that BV may exert an anti-tumor effect on human lung cancer.
