In this study, we isolated sargachromenol (SC) from Sargassum horneri and evaluated its anti-inflammatory effect in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. SC did not show cytotoxicity at all concentrations and effectively increased the cell viability by reducing the nitric oxide (NO) and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. In addition, SC decreased the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) and inflammatory mediators (iNOS and COX-2). Moreover, SC suppressed the activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, whereas activated the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1 (Nrf2/HO-1) signaling in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Interestingly, the anti-inflammatory effect of SC was abolished by the inhibition of HO-1 in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. According to the results, this study suggests that the antioxidant capacity of SC leads to its anti-inflammatory effect and it potentially may be utilized in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors.
Keywords: Nrf2/HO-1 signaling; RAW 264.7 macrophages; Sargassum horneri; anti-inflammatory effect; sargachromenol.