Biological Activities of MAAs and their Applications 3: Anti-inflammatory Effects

Abstract

Inflammation is the defensive reaction system that occurs when the body receives a harmful stimulus and tries to remove it. In general, the area where the reaction occurs has a fever, swelling, redness, and pain. The stimuli that cause inflammation are diverse but include UV irradiation and reactive oxygen species. This chapter briefly describes the inflammatory response pathways caused by these stimuli. After that, it outlines the effects of mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs) on the accumulation, activity, and regulation of factors contained in the inflammatory pathway. Although research findings are accumulating, the molecular mechanisms are still unknown. Details of the relationship between the molecular structures of MAAs and their functions in the inflammatory pathway await further study.

Keywords: Antioxidant, Cyclooxygenase-2, Interleukin-1, Interleukin-6, Inducible NO synthase, Inflammation, Inhibitor protein of NF-κB, Lipopolysaccharides, Mycosporine-like amino acid, Nuclear factor-kappa B, Nitrogen monoxide, Prostaglandin E2 , Reactive oxygen species, Tumor necrosis factor α, Ultraviolet.