Taraxacum Officinale Inhibits Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Production from Rat Astrocytes

• Published in: Immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology 2000-01, Vol.22 (3), p.519-530
• Main Authors: Kim, H. M., Shin, H. Y., Lim, K. H., Ryu, S. T., Shin, T. Y., Chae, H. J., Kim, H. R., Lyu, Y. S., An, N. H., Lim, K. S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Asteraceae; Astrocytes; Astrocytes - drug effects; Astrocytes - immunology; Cells, Cultured; Interleukin-1; Interleukin-1 - biosynthesis; Lipopolysaccharide; Lipopolysaccharides - pharmacology; Microglia - drug effects; Microglia - immunology; Plants, Medicinal; Rats; Substance P; Substance P - pharmacology; Taraxacum officinale; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - biosynthesis; Tumor necrosis factor-α
• ISSN: 0892-3973; 1532-2513
• DOI: 10.3109/08923970009026009

Abstract Substance P (SP) can stimulate production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) from astrocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of Taraxacum officinale (TO) on the production of TNF-α from primary cultures of rat astrocytes. TO (100 and 1000 μg/ml) significantly inhibited the TNF-α production by astrocytes stimulated with LPS and SP. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) has been shown to elevate TNF-α production from LPS-stimulated astrocytes while having no effect on astrocytes in the absence of LPS. We therefore examined whether IL-1 mediated inhibition of TNF-α production from primary astrocytes by TO. Treatment of TO (100 and 1000 μg/ml) to astrocytes stimulated with both LPS and SP decreased IL-1 production significantly. Moreover, the production of TNF-α by LPS and SP in astrocytes was progressively inhibited with increasing amount of IL-1 neutralizing antibody. Our results suggest that TO may inhibit TNF-α production by inhibiting IL-1 production and that TO has an antiinflammatory activity in the central nervous system.