Suppressive effects of extracts from the aerial part of Coriandrum sativum L. on LPS-induced inflammatory responses inmurine RAW 264.7 macrophages

BACKGROUND: Coriandrum sativum is used not only as a spice to aid flavour and taste values in food, but also as a folk medicine in many countries. Since little is known about the anti-inflammatory ability of the aerial parts (stem and leaf) of C. sativum, the present study investigated the effect of aerial parts of C. sativum on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7macrophages.We further explored themolecular mechanism underlying these pharmacological properties of C. sativum. RESULTS: Ethanolic extracts from both stem and leaf of C. sativum (CSEE) significantly decreased LPS-induced nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and pro-interleukin-1β expression. Moreover, LPS-induced IκB-α phosphorylation and nuclear p65 protein expression as well as nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) nuclear protein-DNA binding affinity and reporter gene activity were dramatically inhibited by aerial parts of CSEE. Exogenous addition of CSEE stem and leaf significantly reduced LPS-induced expression of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrated that aerial parts of CSEE have a strong anti-inflammatory property which inhibits pro-inflammatorymediator expression by suppressing NF-κB activation and MAPK signal transduction pathway in LPS-induced macrophages.