Malaysian brown macroalga Padina australis mitigates lipopolysaccharide-stimulated neuroinflammation in BV2 microglial cells

Neuroinflammation and microglial activation are pathological features in central nervous system disorders. Excess levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in exacerbation of neuronal damage during chronic activation of microglial cells. , a brown macroalga, has been demonstrated to have various pharmacological properties such as anti-neuroinflammatory activity. However, the underlying mechanism mediating the anti-neuroinflammatory potential of remains poorly understood. We explored the use of Malaysian in attenuating lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated neuroinflammation in BV2 microglial cells. Fresh specimens of were freeze-dried and subjected to ethanol extraction. The ethanol extract (PAEE) was evaluated for its protective effects against 1 µg/ml LPS-stimulated neuroinflammation in BV2 microglial cells. LPS reduced the viability of BV2 microglia cells and increased the levels of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E (PGE ), intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). However, the neuroinflammatory response was reversed by 0.5-2.0 mg/ml PAEE in a dose-dependent manner. Analysis of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) of PAEE subfractions revealed five compounds; methyl α-eleostearate, ethyl α-eleostearate, niacinamide, stearamide, and linoleic acid. The protective effects of PAEE against LPS-stimulated neuroinflammation in BV2 microglial cells were found to be mediated by the suppression of excess levels of intracellular ROS and pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines, denoting the protective role of in combating continuous neuroinflammation. Our findings support the use of as a possible therapeutic for neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.