Bisdemethoxycurcumin Inhibits Lipopolysacchaide-induced Nitric Oxide Production by Inhibiting Nuclear Factor-kappa B in RAW264.7 Macrophages

We here demonstrate an anti-inflammatory action of bisdemethoxycurcumin(BDMC), an analog of curcumin, in lipoplysaccharide(LPS)-induced murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells. Treatment with BDMC at micromolar concentrations suppressed the production of nitric oxide by down-regulating expression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene in LPS-stimulated macrophages. The decreased expression of iNOS and subsequent reduction of NO were due to inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B(NF-kB) activity but not c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase 1.2 (JNK1.2) activity, which were activated in the LPS-activated macrophages. Thus our findings indicate that BDMC exerts its anti-inflammatory action by blocking the NF-kB activi쇼, and eventually reduces expression of pro-inflammatory genes such as iNOS.