Lactobacilli-fermented Hwangryunhaedoktang has enhanced anti-inflammatory effects mediated by the suppression of MAPK signaling pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells

BACKGROUND: Hwangryunhaedoktang (HR) has been traditionally used in oriental medicine as a drug for the treatment of melena, hemoptysis, and apoplexy. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether HR and lactobacilli-fermented HRs have an inhibitory effect on the production of proinflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The investigation was focused on whether HR and fermented HRs could inhibit the production of prostaglandin (PG)E(2,) nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. RESULTS: We found that HR weakly inhibited various inflammatory mediators induced by LPS. However, fermentation with lactobacilli significantly increased the inhibitory effect of HR on most of the inflammatory mediator expression. Furthermore, fermented HRs exerted a stronger inhibitory effect on MAPKs phosphorylation than that by non-fermented HR. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that lactobacilli-fermented HRs contains elevated potent anti-inflammatory activity that is mediated by inhibiting MAPKs pathway in macrophages.