TY - JOUR
T1 - Extract from Calotropis procera latex activates murine macrophages
AU - Seddek, Abdel Latif Shaker
AU - Mahmoud, Motamed Elsayed
AU - Shiina, Takahiko
AU - Hirayama, Haruko
AU - Iwami, Momoe
AU - Miyazawa, Seiji
AU - Nikami, Hideki
AU - Takewaki, Tadashi
AU - Shimizu, Yasutake
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments We are grateful to Dr. Naoto Ito, Gifu University, Japan for providing the protocol for cell culture. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan.
PY - 2009/7
Y1 - 2009/7
N2 - Calotropis procera latex has long been used in traditional medicines. Extracts from C. procera latex have been reported to have various pharmacological actions, including protection from myocardial infarction, hepatoprotective action, antitumor activity, antinociceptive, and pro- and anti-inflammatory actions. To evaluate the immunomodulatory functions of the water-soluble C. procera extract (CPE), we investigated its ability to activate macrophages-effector cells in inflammatory and immune responses. Intraperitoneal injection of CPE in mice (2 mg/mouse) induced migration of macrophages to the intraperitoneal cavity, confirming the proinflammatory effects of water-soluble CPE. The direct effects of CPE on macrophages were then assessed by measuring the production of nitric oxide (NO) as an indicator for macrophage activation. Addition of CPE (1-10 μg/ml) to the culture medium of the murine monocyte/macrophage cell line RAW264.7 caused an increase in NO production in a time- and dose-dependent manner. CPE-elicited NO production was blocked by application of an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Expression of iNOS mRNA was induced by treatment of cultured macrophages with CPE. Injection of CPE in mice also resulted in an increase in plasma NO level. The results suggest that CPE activates macrophages and facilitates NO production via up-regulation of iNOS gene expression.
AB - Calotropis procera latex has long been used in traditional medicines. Extracts from C. procera latex have been reported to have various pharmacological actions, including protection from myocardial infarction, hepatoprotective action, antitumor activity, antinociceptive, and pro- and anti-inflammatory actions. To evaluate the immunomodulatory functions of the water-soluble C. procera extract (CPE), we investigated its ability to activate macrophages-effector cells in inflammatory and immune responses. Intraperitoneal injection of CPE in mice (2 mg/mouse) induced migration of macrophages to the intraperitoneal cavity, confirming the proinflammatory effects of water-soluble CPE. The direct effects of CPE on macrophages were then assessed by measuring the production of nitric oxide (NO) as an indicator for macrophage activation. Addition of CPE (1-10 μg/ml) to the culture medium of the murine monocyte/macrophage cell line RAW264.7 caused an increase in NO production in a time- and dose-dependent manner. CPE-elicited NO production was blocked by application of an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Expression of iNOS mRNA was induced by treatment of cultured macrophages with CPE. Injection of CPE in mice also resulted in an increase in plasma NO level. The results suggest that CPE activates macrophages and facilitates NO production via up-regulation of iNOS gene expression.
KW - Calotropis procera
KW - Inducible nitric oxide synthase
KW - Inflammation
KW - Macrophage
KW - Nitric oxide
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U2 - 10.1007/s11418-009-0335-7
DO - 10.1007/s11418-009-0335-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 19399577
AN - SCOPUS:67650713915
SN - 1340-3443
VL - 63
SP - 297
EP - 303
JO - Journal of Natural Medicines
JF - Journal of Natural Medicines
IS - 3
ER -