Inhibitory effects of butanol fraction of the aqueous extract of Forsythia koreana on the nitric oxide production by murine macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of butanol fraction of the aqueous extract of Forsythia koreana fruits on the nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthesis (iNOS) gene expression in murine macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells. Butanol fraction alone affected neither NO production nor iNOS gene expression in macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells. However, the butanol fraction inhibited NO production and iNOS gene expression in RAW 264. 7 cells stimulated with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These findings suggest that inhibition of NO production by this butanol fraction in RAW 264.7 cells stimulated with IFN-gamma plus LPS was due to the suppression of iNOS gene expression.