Inhibitory effect of esculentoside A on tumour necrosis factor alpha production by human monocytes.

Esculentoside A (EsA) is a saponin isolated from the roots of Phytolacca esculenta. Previous experiments have shown that it has strong anti-inflammatory effects. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a very important inflammatory mediator. It is known that there are two types of TNF-TNFalpha is from macrophages/monocytes and TNFbeta is from activated lymphocytes. In order to study the mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effect of EsA, it was determined whether TNFalpha production from human peripheral monocytes was altered by EsA under lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated conditions. EsA was found to decrease TNFalpha production in a dose-dependent manner at concentrations higher than 1 mumol/l EsA. Recent studies have shown that EsA has a curative effect on chocolate cyst and other inflammatory diseases. Our previous studies have shown that EsA could reduce the release of platelet activating factor (PAF) from rat macrophages, and inhibit interleukin-1 and interleukin-6 production from routine macrophages. The reducing effects of EsA on the release of TNFalpha, IL-1, IL-6 and PAF may explain its anti-inflammatory effect.