Anti-inflammatory activities of fermented black garlic

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus fermented black garlic (FBG) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. FBG did not show cytotoxicity in RAW 264.7 cells at concentrations less than 800 μg/mL, and cell viability increased with FBG concentration. Nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production as well as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 formation decreased in an FBG concentration-dependent manner, in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, activation of LPS-inducible nitric synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and inhibitory kappa B (IκB) protein expression was effectively inhibited by FBG treatment in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. In contrast, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein expression significantly increased. These results indicate that the anti-inflammatory activity of FBG was due to activation of NF-κB, inhibition of cytokine production, and expression of iNOS and COX-2. From these results, we expect that FBG could contribute to the prevention and improvement of inflammatory disease. ? 2014, Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition. All rights reserved.