Study on Anti-inflammatory Effect of Ethanol Extract of Gentianae sino-ornata

Objective : This research has been conducted to comparative analysis of anti-inflammatory effects to suggest a usefulness of ethanol extracts from Gentianae sino-ornata (GSO) as a functional material for inflammatory activities. Methods : Cell viability was measured by neutral red (NR) assay, and nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW264.7 cells was monitored by measuring the nitrite content in culture medium. The expressions of cyclooxigenase-2 (COX-2) was determined by western blot analysis, and Inducible nitric oxide syntase (iNOS) and cytokine were determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results : When the GSO extract was added the concentration of 5-20 ㎍/㎕, the viability of cells was maintained 90% or more at all levels. NO production was suppressed by the treatment of GSO in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. GSO inhibited the expression of iNOS, COX-2, IL-1β and IL-6 in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Conclusions: From this results, we consider that GSO can be a useful therapeutic and preventive approach to various inflammatory diseases as a functional material for inflammatory activities.