Cardiospermum halicacabum ethanol extract inhibits LPS induced COX-2, TNF-alpha and iNOS expression, which is mediated by NF-kappaB regulation, in RAW264.7 cells.

OBJECTIVE

Cardiospermum halicacabum L. is well known for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities. It has been used in Ayurveda and folk medicine for the treatment of rheumatism, fever and earache. But its mechanism of anti-inflammatory and analgesic action is still unclear, hence in this context, the objective of our study is to reveal the mechanism of anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Cardiospermum halicacabum L. which would form an additional proof to the traditional knowledge of Cardiospermum halicacabum L.

METHODS

In this study the ethanolic extract of the whole plant was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory action in mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 cells. The expression levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, COX-2, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and COX-2 protein expression by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-kappaB) binding activity by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA).

RESULTS

We found that the ethanol extract dose dependently inhibit mRNA expression of COX-2, TNF-alpha, iNOS and COX-2 protein expression. But the extract did not affect the expression of COX-1 mRNA expression. Furthermore, Cardiospermum halicacabum L. ethanol extract inhibited the TNF-alpha induced DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB, which was associated with decreased p65 protein level in the nucleus in Jurkat cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These results enabled to understand the mechanisms behind the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Cardiospermum halicacabum L.