Alpha-Pinene Exhibits Anti-Inflammatory Activity Through the Suppression of MAPKs and the NF-κB Pathway in Mouse Peritoneal Macrophages

Abstract

In this study, we found that alpha-pinene (α-pinene) exhibits anti-inflammatory activity through the suppression of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway in mouse peritoneal macrophages. α-Pinene is found in the oils of many coniferous trees and rosemary. We investigated the inhibitory effects of α-Pinene on inflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) using mouse peritoneal macrophages. α-Pinene significantly decreased the LPS-induced production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and nitric oxide (NO). α-Pinene also inhibited inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expressions in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Additionally, the activations of MAPKs and NF-κB were attenuated by means of α-pinene treatment. These results indicate that α-pinene has an anti-inflammatory effect and that it is a potential candidate as a new drug to treat various inflammatory diseases.

α-Pinene, linalool, and 1-octanol contribute to the topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of frankincense by inhibiting COX-2

“…α-Pinene and linalool are anti-inflammatory compounds prevalent in essential oils of various plant species. An intraperitoneal injection of either α-pinene or linalool in mice led to COX-2 inhibition and pain relief (Batista et al, 2010;Kim et al, 2015). However, to our knowledge, there is no report about their topical anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities.…”

“…Concerning the anti-inflammation effect, DDE and the three compounds showed similar effects which were more potent than FOE. Moreover, multiple pathways, including MAPKs, NF-kB, etc., involve in the anti-inflammatory effect of essential oils (Kim et al, 2015). Therefore, further study is needed to clarify the involved pathways.…”

Alpha‐pinene promotes osteoblast differentiation and attenuates TNFα‐induced inhibition of differentiation in MC3T3‐E1 pre‐osteoblasts

“…Mühlbauer et al suggested that α‐pinene and cis ‐verbenol, a metabolite of α‐pinene, are potential inhibitors of bone resorption. α‐Pinene inhibits interleukin‐1β‐induced inflammatory responses by chondrocytes and has anti‐inflammatory effects on peritoneal macrophages . The present study asked whether α‐pinene regulates osteoblast differentiation during inflammation.…”

Terpenes from Forests and Human Health

“…α-Pinene, found in oils of coniferous trees and rosemary, showed anti-inflammatory activity by decreasing the activity of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), expression of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages (24). In ovalbumin-sensitized mouse model of allergic rhinitis, pretreatment with α-pinene decreased clinical symptoms and levels of immunoglobulin E and IL-4 (25).…”