MnTBAP, a synthetic metalloporphyrin, inhibits production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages cells via inhibiting oxidative stress-mediating p38 and SAPK/JNK signaling.

Antioxidants are able to inhibit inflammatory gene expression in response to lipopolysaccharide via down-regulating generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) as second messengers. The effect of manganese (III) tetrakis (4-benzoic acid) porphyrin (MnTBAP), a synthetic metalloporphyrin with antioxidant activity, on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells was examined. MnTBAP prevented the generation of intracellular ROS in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells and further inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha production. MnTBAP exclusively prevented the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK/JNK) whereas it did not affect the phosphorylation and activation of nuclear factor-kappaB and extracellular signal regulated kinase 1/2. MnTBAP was suggested to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced TNF-alpha production by the prevention of intracellular ROS generation and subsequent inactivation of p38 MAPK and SAPK/JNK.