Inhibition of LPS-induced iNOS, COX-2 Expression and Cytokines Production by Fupenjic Acid in Macrophage Cells

In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of fupenjic acid (FA) isolated from the Potentilla discolor in both RAW 264.7 and mouse primary peritoneal macrophage cells. FA pretreatment significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) productions in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 and mouse primary peritoneal macrophage cells. Consistent with these observations, Western blot and RT-PCR analyses revealed that FA inhibited the LPS-induced expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) at the protein and mRNA levels. In addition, FA reduced the release of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). These results suggest that the down regulation of iNOS and COX-2 expression and TNF-α and IL-6 production by fupenjic acid are responsible for its anti-inflammatory effects.