Effects of Shengjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens) and Its Processed Products on Nitric Oxide Production in Macrophage RAW 264.7 Cells

In Chinese medicine, Shengjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens) and its processed products, such as Ganjiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma), Paojiang (Zingiberis Rhizoma Preparatum), and Jiangtan (Zingiberis Rhizoma Carbonisata), exert distinct efficacy clinically. This research tried to study the effects of extracts from Shengjiang and its processed products in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. After incubation of the different ginger types in RAW 264.7 cells for 24 h, an aliquot of the culture was mixed with an equal volume of Griess reagent, and nitric oxide (NO) production was evaluated using a Griess assay. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used as the positive control. Milli-Q water (MQW) was used as the solvent control. The results showed that NO production increased significantly in RAW 264.7 cells following the stimulation of LPS (0.05 mu g mL(-1)), Shengjiang, Ganjiang, Paojiang, and Jiangtan (50 mu g mL(-1), 500 mu g mL(-1)) separately compared with the MQW control (P < 0.01). The stimulation effects of Shengjiang and Ganjiang were significantly higher than those of Paojiang and Jiangtan at different concentrations (P < 0.01). The conclusion we could get from this research is that Shengjiang and its processed products could induce NO production in RAW264.7 cells.