Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects of Korean ginseng berry extract in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages

This study aims to investigate whether Korean ginseng berry extract (KGB) attenuate lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in RAW264.7 macrophage cells. The nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression induced by LPS was dose dependantly reduced by preatreatment with KGB, which was measured by Nitrite assay and RT-PCR, respectively. The levels of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) also were inhibited by treatment of KGB, as shown by RT-PCR. Furthermore, KGB significantly suppressed the LPS-induced gene expression and production of cytokines such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as shown by ELISA, and western blot analysis and RT-PCR, respectively. Nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 subunit induced by LPS was also inhibited by treatment with KGB. KGB contributed to the downregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) including extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK 1/2), c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK), and p38. Additionally, in the KGB-treated RAW264.7 cells, we observed the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and antioxidant enzymes activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT), as assessed by using a dichlorofluoroscein diacetate (DCF-DA) fluorescent probe, and ELISA, respectively. Taken together, these results indicate that KGB possesses anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects via the inhibition of MAPK signaling pathway in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophages, suggesting that KGB may be a potential therapeutic agent for inflammatory diseases and oxidative stress related diseases.