In Vitro and in Vivo Studies on Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Traditional Okinawan Vegetable Methanol Extracts

[Image: see text] To determine anti-inflammatory effects of traditional Okinawan vegetable methanol extracts, we examined the inflammatory mediators from mouse macrophage by the addition of extracts prepared from two kinds of nishi-yomogi and hosoba-wadan. Moreover, we inspected the impact of extracts using a carrageenin-induced acute inflammatory animal model. In the case of in vitro study, nitric oxide and cytokine concentrations of supernatant were analyzed with Griess reagent and a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, respectively. Gene expressions related to the inflammation were extrapolated from the data of real-time polymerase chain reaction. In the case of in vivo study, six-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were intraperitoneally administered with vegetable extracts, and then developed edema by carrageenin administration on the footpad. The footpad volume was obtained from the difference in volume before and after carrageenin administration. In the case of in vitro study, nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor-α concentrations of the Kume nishi-yomogi were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of other groups, and also interleukin-6 concentration of the Kume nishi-yomogi was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that of control. The iNOS and COX-2 gene expressions of Kume nishi-yomogi were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than those of other groups. In the case of in vivo study, the footpad volume between groups showed no significant difference; however, the decreased tendency of the footpad volume in Kume nishi-yomogi was observed as compared with other groups. From these results, it is expected that Kume nishi-yomogi extract might have a physiological function in the alleviating inflammation.