Papers of the Week

Lam has been shown to exert to a variety of physiological effects on edema, tumors, leprosy, spasm, inflammation, pain, and rheumatoid arthritis. In this study, the effects of a extract on the production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α expression and on the production of the inflammatory mediator, nitric oxide (NO), in RAW 264.7 cells were examined. The extract decreased LPS-induced NO production. Moreover, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays revealed that the extract concentration-dependently suppressed LPS-induced production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. These results suggest that the extract has potential as an anti-inflammatory therapeutic substance for use in the prevention of the inflammatory disorder.