Lemon Pepper Fruit Extract (<i>Zanthoxylum acanthopodium</i> DC.) Suppresses the Expression of Inflammatory Mediators in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Macrophages <i>In Vitro</i>

Abstract

Problem statement: Lemon pepper fruits (Zanthoxylum acanthopodium DC.; Rutaceae) have been used as a traditional source against stomach ache by Batak people in North Sumatera province, Indonesia. However, its scientific evidence for treatment of inflammatory disorders particularly gastritis has not been reported. Approach: Here, we investigated the inhibitory effects of Lemon Pepper Fruit Extract (LPFE) against inflammatory biomarkers by conducting cell culture experiments in vitro. The fruits of lemon pepper were dried and extracted twice in 70% ethanol, followed by evaporation and freeze-drying. The concentrated extract was further tested for its potential inhibition on the protein and gene expression of several inflammatory biomarkers, i.e. ) and LPS (2 µg mL −1 ) had no cytotoxicity effects on macrophages. LPFE dose dependently decreased the expression of TNF-α and COX-2 proteins and MMP-9 activity in macrophages treated with LPS. At the gene level, LPFE were effectively found to block the mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-6, iNOS, COX-2 and MMP-9. Conclusion: Our results suggest that LPFE significantly inhibits selected inflammatory biomarkers at the protein and gene levels in LPS-induced macrophages. Further in vivo study using animal models is needed to determine the exact anti-inflammatory potential of LPFE.

The PI3KCA and AKT Inhibitory Activities of Litsea Cubeba Lour. Fruits and Heartwoods Towards Hela Cells

“…PCR products were separated electrophoretically on a 2% agarose and fluorosafe (Smobio) with Tris-Borate-EDTA (Vivantis), TBE 0,5x. The stained gel was visualised by using Gel-Doc Quantity One software (Syngene) [13].…”

Liver Protection Effect of Red Rose Petal Methanol Extract in Copper-Induced Liver Injury in Male Wistar Rats

“…In the last three days, all rats received a milliliter of copper sulfate suspension orally. (Yanti et al, 2011;Mutia, 2019;Mutia and Chiuman, 2019;Mutia, Ginting and Yulizal, 2021) Furthermore, all rats were sacrificed on the 15 th day by chloroform inhalation. After that, the blood was obtained by intracardiac puncture, and the liver was resected from incised abdomen wall.…”