Anti-inflammatory Effect of Leaves Extracts from Aralia cordata through Inhibition of NF-κB and MAPKs Signaling in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 Cells

Aralia cordata (A. cordata), which belongs to Araliaceae, is a perennial herb widely distributed in East Asia. Weevaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of stems (AC-S), roots (AC-R) and leaves (AC-L) extracted with 100% methanol ofA. cordata and elucidated the potential signaling pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The AC-L showed a stronganti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of NO production. AC-L dose-dependently inhibited NO production bysuppressing iNOS, COX-2 and IL-β expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. AC-L inhibited the degradation andphosphorylation of IκB-α, which donated to the inhibition of p65 nuclear accumulation and NF-κB activation. Furthermore,AC-L suppressed the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38. These results suggested that AC-L may utilize anti-inflammatoryactivity by blocking NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathway and indicated that the AC-L can be used as a naturalanti-inflammatory drugs.