To demonstrate the efficacy of P. trifoliata fruit extract(PTF) on anti-neuroinflammation, we investigated the effect of PTF on proinflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-stimulated mouse microglia BV2 cells. Whether PTF inhibited nitric oxide(NO) productions, and expressions of inducible NO synthase(iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2), interleukin-6(IL-6), Tumor Necrosis Factor-α(TNF-α) and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) in LPS-stimulated BV2 cells were confirmed. We found that PTF inhibited LPS-induced NO, IL-6 and TNF-α productions as well as the expressions of iNOS and COX-2. Furthermore, PTF suppressed the LPS-induced phosphorylation of MAPK activation. These inhibitory effects occur through blockades on the phosphorylation of MAPK following activation. Expression of phosphorylated IκBα and p65 protein, a subunit of NF-κB, was dose-dependently inhibited by PTF treatment.
Based on these results, we could confirm that the PTF had anti-neuroinflammatory activity in LPS-induced BV2 cells. Therefore, This finding suggests that PTF may be useful for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases accompanied by microglia activation.