Macelignan attenuates activations of mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor kappa B induced by lipopolysaccharide in microglial cells.

A previous study showed that macelignan extracted from Myristica fragrans has anti-inflammatory properties using hippocampal neuronal and primary microglial cells. Subsequently, a study using animals with chronic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) infusion into the brain showed that oral treatments of macelignan reduced the hippocampal microglial activation and hippocampal-dependent spatial memory impairments induced by LPS. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the anti-inflammatory activity of macelignan have not been elucidated in the microglia. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine if mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) activities are related to the anti-inflammatory effects of macelignan on LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. The results show that macelignan suppresses both the phosphorylations of MAPKs and the degradation of inhibitory-kappa B (IkappaBalpha) and increases of nuclear NF-kappaB in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells. These results suggest that macelignan has an anti-inflammatory effect on the affected brain through regulation of the inflammation through the MAPK signal pathway.