Inhibition of NF-κB Pathway as the Therapeutic Potential of Red Fruit (Pandanus Conoideus Lam.) in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

NF-κB is a transcription factor that regulates the inflammatory response, immune system, cellular proliferation and apoptosis. The link between NF-κB and inflammation has been shown in some studies of various human diseases and animal models. The activation pathway of NF-кB has been identified; therefore, inhibition of NF-кB is considered to be an effective therapeutic alternative in inflammatory diseases and cancer. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by chronic inflammation, which is also a high predisposition to colorectal cancer. The activation of NF-κB within the colonic epithelial cells promotes inflammation in UC by increasing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1 and TNF-α. NF-κB also directly activates pro-survival pathway, which causes neo-plastic transformation, increases the expression of COX-2 induced by IL-1 and TNF-α, andpromotes carcinogenesis. Currently, red fruit (Pandanus conoideus Lam.) has been considered to be an alternative therapy of IBD, and it is proposed that red fruit could reduce the inflammation by inhibiting the activity of NF-κB. Previous studies have proven that red fruit has the capacity to increase the proliferation of immune cells. Increased lymphocyte proliferation might induce the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10 and IL-22, which subsequently inhibit the activation of NF-κB, COX-2, and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.