Anti-inflammatory effects of methanol extract of Antrodia cinnamomea mycelia both in vitro and in vivo

Aims of the study: Antrodia cinnamomea is a folk medicinal mushroom commonly used in Taiwan for the treatment of several types of cancers and inflammatory disorders. This study aimed to explore the folk use of Antrodia cinnamomea on pharmacological grounds to characterize the scientific basis of anti-inflammatory activity. Materials and methods: The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of methanol extract of liquid cultured mycelia of Antrodia cinnamomea (MEMAC) was judged by the measurement of the produced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and mediators in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The in vivo anti-inflammatory activity of MEMAC was evaluated using carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in mice, the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the liver and the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitrite oxide (NO) in the edema paw. The levels of serum NO and TNF-alpha were measured. The MEMAC was administered at the concentrations of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight of mouse. Results: MEMAC inhibited the production of LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha. and IL-6) and mediators (NO and PGE2) in RAW264.7 cells and human PBMCs. Data from Western blotting showed that MEMAC decreased the levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. In vivo, MEMAC showed significant (p < 0.05) anti-inflammatory activity by reducing the edema volume in carrageenan-induced paw edema in mice. MEMAC (400 mg/kg) also reduced the carrageenan-induced leukocyte migration (50.92 +/- 5.71%). Further, MEMAC increased the activities of CAT, SOD, and GPx in the liver tissue and decreased the levels of serum NO and TNF-alpha after carrageenan administration. Conclusions: Our results showed that MEMAC has the anti-inflammatory property both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that it may be a potential preventive or therapeutic candidate for the treatment of inflammatory disorders. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.