Inhibition of Proinflammatory Biomarkers in THP1 Macrophages by Polyphenols Derived From Chamomile, Meadowsweet and Willow bark

Abstract

Antiinflammatory compounds in the diet can alleviate excessive inflammation, a factor in the pathogenesis of common diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis and diabetes. This study examined three European herbs, chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria L.) and willow bark (Salix alba L.), which have been traditionally used to treat inflammation and their potential for use as antiinflammatory agents. Aqueous herbal extracts and isolated polyphenolic compounds (apigenin, quercetin and salicylic acid, 0-100 μM) were incubated with THP1 macrophages, and interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were measured. At concentrations of 10 μM, both apigenin and quercetin reduced IL-6 significantly ( p < 0.05). Apigenin at 10 μM and quercetin at 25 μM reduced TNF-α significantly ( p < 0.05). Amongst the herbal extracts, willow bark had the greatest antiinflammatory activity at reducing IL-6 and TNF-α production. This was followed by meadowsweet and then chamomile. The lowest effective antiinflammatory concentrations were noncytotoxic (MTT mitochondrial activity assay). The Comet assay, which was used to study the protective effect of the isolated phenols against oxidative damage, showed positive results for all three polyphenols. These are the first findings that demonstrate the antiinflammatory capacity of these herbal extracts.

Modulation of Immune Function by Polyphenols: Possible Contribution of Epigenetic Factors

“…Studies conducted in macrophages derived from THP-1 monocytes, demonstrated similar effects to these previously described [34,35,36]. Extracts of chamomile, meadowsweet, willow bark and isolated polyphenols present in these extracts as quercetin, apigenin and salicylic acid, were able to suppress the secretion of TNF-α and IL-6 without IL-1β modulation in THP-1 monocytes differentiated with phorbol -12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) [38]. Inhibitory effects on TNF-α and Interleukin 8 (IL-8) were observed after treatment with an extract of Cydonia oblonga in THP-1 stimuled with LPS.…”

Activation of the NFκB Pathway Enhances AhR Expression in Intestinal Caco-2 Cells

“…CaCo-2 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells and THP1 human monocytic cells were cultured as previously described [8, 14]. At confluence, cells were starved for 12 h without FBS (replaced by 0.2% BSA) and treated for 1 h to 24 h with either 100 nM PMA or 200 nM IL-1 β .…”

An Hydroalcoholic Chamomile Extract Modulates Inflammatory and Immune Response in HT29 Cells and Isolated Rat Colon

“…The rationale for the traditional use has been recently corroborated by multiple clinical trials (Langhorst et al ., ; Albrecht et al ., ). This is consistent, albeit in part, with the antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties of chamomile (McKay and Blumberg, ; Drummond et al ., ).…”