Abeliophyllum distichum is a medicinal plant used in regional traditional medicine to relieve pain in inflammatory processes. In this study, anti-inflammatory effects of Abeliophyllum distichum flower (ADF) extract were examined. Furthermore, possible molecular mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory effects were dissected. The anti-inflammatory activity was investigated by inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in murine macrophage-like cell line Raw264.7 cells. The measurement of the induced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were carried out by ELISA. The phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK, and MAPK, and the nuclear expression of nuclear factor NF-κ B p65 were investigated by Western blot analysis. The extract of ADF significantly decreased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, the extract suppressed the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, JNK, and p38 MAPK, and the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in activated cells. Our findings provide evidence for the popular use of Abeliophylli distichum in inflammation around Goesan region and also suggest that the flower extract has potential therapeutic benefits against various inflammatory diseases.

Abstrac
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
  Extract
  Cell line and culture
  NO assay for anti-inflammatory effect
  Quantification of pro-inflammatory cytokines productionby ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay)
  Determination of MMP-9 production using gelatin zymography
  Immunoblotting
  Immunofluorescence staining
  Statistical analysis
 Results
  Effect of ADF on NO production in LPS-stimulatedRaw264.7 cells
  Effect of ADF on cytokine production in LPS-stimulatedRaw264.7 cells
  Effect of ADF on Matrix metallopeptidase-9 (MMP-9)production in LPS-stimulated Raw264.7 cells
  Effect of ADF on MAPK and NF-κB pathway activationin LPS-stimulated Raw264.7 cells
  Effect of ADF on NF-κB translocation in LPS-stimulatedRaw264.7 cells
 Discussion
 References

• Jin-Wook Lee(Department of Biomedical Science, Jungwon University)
• Yoon-Joong Kang(Department of Biomedical Science, Jungwon University) Corresponding author