Anti-inflammatory activity of marine algae in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage

Abstract

Fucoxanthin, is considered to be one of major active compound of marine algae, has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-proliferative, anti-obesity, and antitumor activities. In this study, therefore, we have examined the anti-inflammatory effect of fucoxanthin isolated from brown algae, Myagropsis myagroides on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages.Fucoxanthin significantly inhibited the nitric oxide (NO) production, but slightly reduced the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in RAW 264.7 macrophages. The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxigenase 2 (COX-2) protein expressions were inhibited by addition of fucoxanthin. RT-PCR analysis indicated that the iNOS and COX-2 mRNA expression were suppressed by addition of fucoxanthin. Moreover, the release of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the mRNA expression levels of these cytokines were reduced by addition of fucoxanthin in a dosedependent manner. Hence, these results suggest that the use of fucoxanthin may be a useful therapeutic approach for the various inflammatorydiseases.