Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Neuroprotective effect of Sargassum thunbergii (Mertens ex Roth) Kuntze in activated murine microglial cells

Sung-Gyu Lee, Hyun Kang

Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Science, Dankook University, Cheonan-si, Chungnam, 330-714, Republic of Korea;

For correspondence:- Hyun Kang Email: hyunbio@gmail.com, hkang@dankook.ac.kr

Received: 22 October 2014 Revised: 14 January 2015 Published: 28 February 2015

Citation: Lee S, Kang H. Neuroprotective effect of Sargassum thunbergii (Mertens ex Roth) Kuntze in activated murine microglial cells. Trop J Pharm Res 2015; 14(2):235-240 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v14i2.7

© 2015 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the anti-oxidant and anti-neuroinflammatory effects of the Sargassum thunbergii extract (Mertens ex Roth) Kuntze (STE) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells in vitro.

Methods: STE antioxidative activity was evaluated with an Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectrometer, which measured 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. Cell viabilities were estimated using 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays. LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia were used to study the expression and production of inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and tumor necrosis alpha (TNF-α).

Results: LPS treatment, following STE pretreatment, decreased NO production by 13 ~ 65% in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.001 at 20, 40, 80 and 100 μg/mL), and was associated with the down-regulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. STE also attenuated the TNF-α soluble protein by 16 ~ 47% (p < 0.01at 20, 40 and 80 μg/mL) in activated murine microglia. Furthermore, the DPPH-generated free radicals were inhibited by STE concentration-dependently.

Conclusion: STE has therapeutic potential in the prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative and oxidative stress-related disorders.

Keywords: Sargassum thunbergii, Neurodegenerative diseases, Anti-inflammatory, Microglial cells, Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), Tumor necrosis factor (