Anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extract from skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) heart in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells and mouse ear edema model.

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanolic extract (THEE) obtained from the heart of skipjack tuna using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 cells. THEE markedly suppressed the production of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-1β in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, THEE decreased the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (NF-κB p65), and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) including phosphorylated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (p-JNK), phosphorylated extracellular signal-related kinase (p-ERK), and p-p38 proteins. Moreover, THEE orally treated at doses of 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg inhibited the croton oil-induced edema formation and the reduction of the epidermal/dermal thickness and the mast cell numbers was observed in histological analysis. There were no mortalities occurred in mice administered THEE at 5,000 mg/kg body weight. Taken together, these results indicate that THEE exerts the anti-inflammatory activities via inhibition of NF-κB and MAPKs activation.