Nandina domestica (Berberidaceae) has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of cough.This plant is distributed in Korea, Japan, China, and India This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory phytochemicals obtained from the N.domestica fruits.
We isolated a biflavonoid-type phytochemical, robustaflavone (R), from N.domestica fruits through bioactivity-guided fractionation based on its capacity to inhibit inflammation.The anti-inflammatory mechanism of R isolated from N.
domestica has not yet been studied.In the present study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory activities of R using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated Football RAW 264.7 macrophages.
We have shown that R reduces the production of nitric oxide (NO), pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and IL-6.Western blot analysis showed that R suppresses the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and downregulates the expression of LPS-induced nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and the phosphorylation of extracellular-regulated kinases (pERK 1/2).Moreover, R inhibited IL-8 release in LPS-induced human colonic epithelial cells (HT-29).
These results suggest that Maps R could be a potential therapeutic candidate for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).