Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis by butanol fraction of the methanol extract of Ulmus davidiana in murine macrophages.

Since there is increasing evidence that nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, this study was undertaken to address whether the methanol (MeOH) extract and its fractions of the bark of Ulmus davidiana Planch (Ulmaceae) could modulate the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in thioglycollate-elicited murine peritoneal macrophages and murine macrophage cell line, RAW264.7 cells. Stimulation of the peritoneal macrophages and RAW264.7 cells with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) resulted in increased production of NO in the medium. However, the butanol (BuOH) fraction of the MeOH extract of U. davidiana barks showed marked inhibition of NO synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition of NO synthesis was reflected in the decreased amount of iNOS protein, as determined by Western blotting. The BuOH fraction did not affect the viability of RAW264.7 cells, as assessed by methylthiazol-2-yl-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay; rather, it reduced endogenous NO-induced apoptotic cell death via inhibition of NO synthesis in RAW264.7 cells. On the other hand, the BuOH fraction showed no inhibitory effect on the synthesis of NO by RAW264.7 cells, when iNOS was already expressed by the stimulation with IFN-gamma and LPS. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the BuOH fraction inhibits NO synthesis by inhibition of the induction of iNOS in murine macrophages.