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Anti-inflammatory effects of immature Citrus unshiu fruit extracts via suppression of NF-κB and MAPK signal pathways in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells

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Abstract

This study examined the anti-inflammatory effects of 70% ethanol crude extract of immature Citrus unshiu fruits (ICE) and its solvent fractions in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In addition, we analyzed the active compounds related to suppression of inflammation. It was found that the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction showed the highest level of inhibition of NO production, and this inhibitory activity was concentration-dependent. Moreover, the EtOAc fraction not only inhibited TNF-α and IL-6 production but also inhibited iNOS and COX-2 protein expression. Furthermore, inhibition of NF-κB activity and MAPK phosphorylation was also observed. In addition, β-sitosterol, campesterol and isoferulic acid were identified as major anti-inflammatory components in the EtOAc fraction. These results suggested that the EtOAc fraction of immature C. unshiu fruit extract exerts anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways, and that this fruit could be used as a natural anti-inflammatory material.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education (Grant No. 2016R1A6A1A03012862) and a Grant (715003-07) from the Research Center for Production Management and Technical Development for High Quality Livestock Products through Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Convergence Technologies Program for Educating Creative Global Leader, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biotechnology, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63243, Republic of Korea

    Min Gun Kim, Sojin Kim, Kyung-Hwan Boo, Jae-Hoon Kim & Chang Sook Kim

  2. Subtropical/Tropical Organism Gene Bank, Jeju National University, Jeju, 63243, Republic of Korea

    Kyung-Hwan Boo, Jae-Hoon Kim & Chang Sook Kim

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  1. Min Gun Kim
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  2. Sojin Kim
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Correspondence to Chang Sook Kim.

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Kim, M.G., Kim, S., Boo, KH. et al. Anti-inflammatory effects of immature Citrus unshiu fruit extracts via suppression of NF-κB and MAPK signal pathways in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Food Sci Biotechnol 33, 903–911 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-023-01390-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-023-01390-2

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