Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) attenuates the inflammatory response in the in vitro intestinal Caco-2 cell model

► DMSO at low concentrations (0.1–0.5%) modulated the intestinal inflammatory response in vitro. ► DMSO reduced IL-6 and MCP-1 secretions in inflamed Caco-2 cells. ► DMSO decreased prostaglandin-E2 production related to cyclooxygenase-2 activity. ► DMSO inhibited the gene transcription for several proinflammatory proteins. This study aimed to investigate dose effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (0.05–1%) on the intestinal inflammatory response in confluent- and differentiated-Caco-2 cells stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1β or a pro-inflammatory cocktail for 24h. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) activity was assayed by incubating inflamed cells with arachidonic acid and then measuring prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) produced. Soluble mediators (IL-8, IL-6, macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and COX-2-derived PGE2) were quantified by enzyme immunoassays and mRNA expression of 33 proteins by high throughput TaqMan Low Density Array. Data showed that DMSO decreased induced IL-6 and MCP-1 secretions in a dose-dependent manner (P