摘要：Moutan cortex (MC) is one of the most widely used Oriental herbal medicines for treating inflammatory diseases. In this study, the effect of MC on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN-γ)-induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha were examined using mouse peritoneal macrophages. MC inhibited the LPS/rIFN-γ-induced expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and TNF-alpha release. To clarify the mechanism involved, the effect of MC on the activation of nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB was examined. The LPS/rIFN-γ-induced activation of NF-kappaB was almost completely blocked by MC at 0.5 mg/ml. These findings demonstrate that the inhibition of the LPS/rIFN-γ-induced production of NO and TNF-alpha by MC is due to the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation.
