Inhibitory Effects of Porphyra tenera Extract on Oxidation and Inflammatory Responses

Chul Won Lee; Yong-Tae Ahn; Rongjie Zhao; Youn Sook Kim; Sang Mi Park; Dae Hwa Jung; Jae Kwang Kim; Hyung Woo Kim; Sang Chan Kim; Won G An

doi:10.1155/2021/6650037

Inhibitory Effects of Porphyra tenera Extract on Oxidation and Inflammatory Responses

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2021 Apr 1:2021:6650037. doi: 10.1155/2021/6650037. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Chul Won Lee¹, Yong-Tae Ahn¹, Rongjie Zhao², Youn Sook Kim³, Sang Mi Park⁴, Dae Hwa Jung⁴, Jae Kwang Kim⁵, Hyung Woo Kim⁶, Sang Chan Kim⁴, Won G An⁶

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute for Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Psychopharmacology, Qiqihar Medical University, Qiqihar 161006, China.
³ School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea.
⁴ College of Korean Medicine, Daegu Haany University, Gyeongsan 38610, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Korean Medicine-Application Center, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daegu 41062, Republic of Korea.
⁶ Division of Pharmacology, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Republic of Korea.

Abstract

Porphyra tenera (laver) has long been a popular and traditional seaweed food in Korea, Japan, and China. Historically, it was known as a marine medicinal herb to treat hemorrhoids and cholera morbus in Donguibogam. We investigated the effects of P. tenera extract (PTE) for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. These activities were measured using assays for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and nitric oxide (NO) radical scavenging and its superoxide dismutase- (SOD-) like activity, and through the inhibitory production of inflammatory mediators (prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), NO, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6)) in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated Raw 264.7 cells. The antioxidant assay results showed that PTE displayed DPPH radical scavenging activity (46.44%), NO radical scavenging activity (67.14%), and SOD-like activity (80.29%) at a concentration of 5 mg/mL. In the anti-inflammatory assays, treatment with PTE (1 mg/mL) significantly inhibited expression levels of LPS-induced COX-2 and iNOS, as well as the production of PGE₂, NO, TNF-α, and IL-6. These results show that PTE has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and provide scientific evidence to explain the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties of PTE.