Extracts of Dendropanax morbifera leaves have modulatory effects on neuroinflammation in microglia

Abstract

Dendropanax morbifera (D. morbifera) is an endemic species in Korea and distributes in the southern part of Korea. Its leaves, stems, roots and seeds have been used in folk medicine for various diseases. Recently some researchers suggest possibility of this tree as a medical application, until now the functional role and underlying regulatory mechanisms of this tree in neuroinflammation remain unclear. So, we focused on the modulatory effects of this tree on neuroinflammation. Here, we demonstrate that ethyl acetate extracts of D. morbifera leaves (DMLE) have modulatory effects on neuroinflammation in BV2 microglial cells. DMLE treatment suppressed production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV2 cells. DMLE treatment also attenuated phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB). Furthermore, DMLE suppressed expression of the genes related with pro-inflammatory M1 stage whereas alternative, anti-inflammatory M2 stage-related genes were up-regulated by DMLE. These results indicate that DMLE may have therapeutic effects for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases by suppressing neuroinflammation. Moreover, this research contribute to discover natural agent from Dendropanax morbifera and it could be an effective agent for the treating neurodegenerative diseases associated with neuroinflammation. ⓒ 2015 DGIST