A STUDY OF THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF THE ETHYL ACETATE FRACTION OF THE METHANOL EXTRACT OF FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS.
BACKGROUND
The dried fruit of Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl. (Oleaceae) are better known by their herbal name Forsythiae Fructus, and have a bitter taste, slightly pungent smell, and cold habit. FF has been widely used to treat symptoms associated with the lung, heart, and small intestine. Recently, bioactive compounds isolated from hydrophobic solvent fractions of FF have been reported to have anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-cancer effects. Traditionally, almost all herbal medicines are water extracts, and thus, extraction methods should be developed to optimize the practical efficacies of herbal medicines.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this study, the anti-inflammatory effects of the ethyl acetate fraction of the methanol extract of FF (FFE) were assessed by measuring NO and PGE2 production by and intracellular ROS and protein levels of iNOS and COX-2 in RAW 264.7 cells.


RESULTS
FFE inhibited COX-2 expression in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells.


CONCLUSION
In summary, FFE effectively reduced intracellular ROS and NO levels and inhibited PGE2 production by down-regulating COX-2 levels. Abbreviations: FF, of Forsythiae Fructus; NO, nitric oxide; iNOS, inducible NO synthase; COX-2, cyclooxygenase-2; ROS, reactive oxygen species; PGE2, prostaglandin E2.
['Lee|Se-Eun|SE|', 'Lim|Chiyeon|C|', 'Kim|Hyungwoo|H|', 'Cho|Suin|S|']
D000085:Acetates D000818:Animals D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 D052246:Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors D015232:Dinoprostone D031657:Forsythia D000432:Methanol D051379:Mice D009569:Nitric Oxide D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II D010936:Plant Extracts D000067996:RAW 264.7 Cells D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species
Forsythiae Fructus efficacy herb inflammation