2-Methoxycinnamaldehyde Reduces IL-1.BETA.-Induced Prostaglandin Production in Rat Cerebral Endothelial Cells

Abstract

Guizhi-Tang, one of the most famous traditional Chinese medical formula, has been widely used to treat influenza, common cold and other pyretic conditions. Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), a cyclooxygenase (COX)-derived metabolite of arachidonic acid, is a well-defined mediator of fever. 1,2) Guizhi-Tang was previously reported to reduce the production of PGE 2 in rats. 3,4) Chemical studies have shown that it includes saponins, polysaccharide and homoiso flavonoidal compounds, 5) but its anti-pyretic active components have not been adequately elucidated. 2-Methoxycinnamaldehyde was one of principle compounds isolated from Guizhi-Tang. Antimicrobial effects of 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde have been described early. For example, 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde has been reported to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus parasiticus and sterigmatocystin. 6) Recently, 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde has been discovered to have an inhibitory effect on LPS-induced NF-kappaB transcriptional activity 7) and shown to be a strong inhibitor on aminopyrine N-demethylation in rat liver microsomes. 8) However, whether 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde has antipyretic effect remains unclear.Therefore, in the present study, we tested the effect of 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde on PGE 2 production of rat cerebral endothelial cells (CECs) with interleukin (IL)-1b inducement to provide some pharmacological evidence for clinical use of Guizhi-Tang in fever.9) IL-1b is a principle component of endogenous pyrogens, and it has been generally recognized that IL-1b released from cells peripherally produces fever by signaling the brain via various routes. For this purpose, CECs were cultured and incubated in M199 medium containing IL1b in the presence or absence of 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde. CECs were selected due to its relevance to immune-brain signaling mediated by PGE 2 .10-12) After incubation, the medium was collected and the amount of PGE 2 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). COX mRNA expression, COX protein expression and COX activity were also analyzed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot and ELISA respectively. To better understand the specificity of these effects of 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde in Guizhi-Tang, 2-methoxycinnamic acid, another structually related compound isolated from Guizhi-Tang, was also examined for comparison. The present results show that 2-methoxycinnamaldehyde dose-dependently inhibits IL-1b-induced PGE 2 production through the inhibition of COX-2 protein and COX-2 activity in CECs, while 2-methoxycinnamic acid does not influence the PGE 2 production in CECs with IL-1b inducement. Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) works as a common final mediator of the febrile. Guizhi-Tang, one of the most famous traditional Chinese medical formula used to treat influenza, common cold and other pyretic conditions, was previously reported to reduce the production of PGE 2 in rats. 2-Methoxycinnamaldehyde is a principle compound isolated from Guizhi-Tang. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effec...

2-Methoxycinnamaldehyde from Cinnamomum cassia reduces rat myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury in vivo due to HO-1 induction

“…Then, what is the mechanism by which 2-MCA reduces damage in I/R rat hearts? We believe that the mechanism underlying this beneficial effect on I/R-injury may be closely related to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory action of 2-MCA (Reddy et al, 2004;Guo et al, 2006) via induction of HO-1. This conclusion was based on the results that (1) 2-MCA increased HO-1 expression in endothelial cells, which was significantly inhibited by SnPPIX, a HO-1 inhibitor, (2) the reduced expression of VCAM-1 by 2-MCA in TNF-␣-activated endothelial cells was also inhibited by SnPPIX and HO-1siRNA transfection, (3) administration of 2-MCA resulted in increase of HO-1 in cardiac tissues (normal as well as I/R heart) in vivo.…”

Influence of herbal combinations on the extraction efficiencies of chemical compounds from Cinnamomum cassia , Paeonia lactiflora , and Glycyrrhiza uralensis , the herbal components of Gyeji-tang, evaluated by HPLC method

“…Gyeji-tang is a traditional herbal formula that has been used to treat influenza, common cold, and other pyretic disorders [5]. Gye-ji (the twigs of Cinnamomum cassia (Nees & T.Nees) J.Presl; CC), Jak-yak (the roots of Paeonia lactiflora Pall.…”

Lycorine inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced iNOS and COX-2 up-regulation in RAW264.7 cells through suppressing P38 and STATs activation and increases the survival rate of mice after LPS challenge

“…NO may regulate almost all stages in the development of inflammation, in particular, the early stages of inflammatory cell transmigration to the sites of inflammation. PGE 2 , on the other hand, works as a common final mediator of the febrile [4,5].…”