3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone, a citrus polymethoxylated flavone, attenuates inflammation in the mouse hippocampus

Brain Sci. 2015 Apr 15;5(2):118-29. doi: 10.3390/brainsci5020118.

Abstract

Citrus polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs) have recently been shown to suppress inflammation in peripheral tissues. In the present study, we investigated the effects of 3,5,6,7,8,3',4'-heptamethoxyflavone (HMF), one of the PMFs, on inflammation in the brain in vivo using mice injected intrahippocampally with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We demonstrated that subcutaneously injected HMF suppressed: (1) LPS-induced losses in body weight; (2) LPS-induced microglial activation in the hippocampus; and (3) LPS-induced interleukin-1β mRNA expression in the hippocampus. These results suggest that HMF has the ability to reduce neuroinflammation in the brain.