Effects of anthocyanin on lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response in macrophages.

Objective To explore the effects of anthocyanin on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression with nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release in macrophages. Method THP-1 cells were cultured in the presence of 167 nmol/L phorbol 12-myristate 3-acetate (PMA) for 48 h to induce monocyte–macrophage differentiation. After that,THP-1 macrophages were incubated with 1,10,50 or 100 μmol/L C3G for 2 h and then treated with 1 μg/ml LPS for another 12 h. RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to analyze iNOS and COX-2 gene and protein expression. Additionally,the LPS-induced NO and PGE2 release in macrophages were assayed by the methods of Griess and EIA,respectively. Results Anthocyanins inhibited LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 expression with NO and PGE2 release in macrophages. Conclusion Anthocyanins can cause inhibition of LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 at both mRNA and protein levels together with decrease in NO and PGE2 production,indicating that it can be used as a potential anti-inflammatory reagent to treat many inflammatory-related diseases such as atherosclerosis. [ACTA NUTRIMENTA SINICA,2009,31(4):366-369]