Anti-inflammatory effects of a naturally lacto-fermented cucumber product on RAW 264.7 macrophages in association with increased functional ingredients

Chien-Chia Kao; Jin-Yuarn Lin

doi:10.1016/j.fochx.2023.101039

Anti-inflammatory effects of a naturally lacto-fermented cucumber product on RAW 264.7 macrophages in association with increased functional ingredients

Food Chem X. 2023 Nov 28:20:101039. doi: 10.1016/j.fochx.2023.101039. eCollection 2023 Dec 30.

Authors

Chien-Chia Kao¹, Jin-Yuarn Lin¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, 250 Kuo-Kuang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan.

Abstract

A naturally lacto-fermented cucumber product was developed for use as anti-inflammatory functional foods. To explore the anti-inflammatory characteristics, water (CWE) and ethanol extracts (CEE) from this product were selected to assess their anti-inflammatory potential on RAW 264.7 macrophages in the absence or presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), using four different inflammatory models. Changes in pro- (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokine secretions by treated macrophages were measured using ELISA. The results showed that both CWE and CEE had strong potential to inhibit LPS-stimulated inflammation in macrophages in a repair manner. CWE had a better effect than CEE. The total phenolic, flavonoid and saponin contents in CEE were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with IL-10 (r = 0.384, P = 0.036*) and TNF-α (r = 0.371, P = 0.043*) levels, but slightly correlated with TNF-α/IL-10 secretion ratios (r = -0.184, P = 0.359) by treated RAW 264.7 cells, respectively.

Keywords: Anti-inflammation; Lipopolysaccharide; Naturally lacto-fermented cucumber; Pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokines; RAW 264.7 cells.