Anti-inflammatory effect of jeongshintang through suppression of p38 activation in human astrocytoma, U373MG cells

Jeongshintang (JST) is a Korean herbal prescription, which has been successfully used for cerebral diseases. However, the anti-inflammatory effect of JST on Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of JST in attenuating the inflammatory response induced by interleukin (IL)-1β plus β-amyloid [1-42] fragment (Aβ) in the human astrocyte cell line, U373MG. The production of IL-6, IL-8, and prostaglandin (PG)E₂ was significantly increased by IL-1β plus Aβ (1-42) in a time-dependent manner (P < 0.05). JST significantly inhibited the IL-1β plus Aβ (1-42)-induced IL-6, IL-8, and PGE₂ production at 24 h (P < 0.05). Maximal inhibition rate of IL-6, IL-8, and PGE₂ production by JST was about 54.40%, 56.01%, and 44.06% respectively. JST (0.01-1 mg/ml) also attenuated the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and activation of p38 MAPK induced by IL-1β and Aβ (1-42). These results demonstrated that JST has an anti-inflammatory effect, which might explain its beneficial effect in the treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases such as AD.