Fermentation Improves Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Sipjeondaebotang on LPS-Stimulated RAW 264.7 Cells

Sipjeondaebotang (SJ) has been used as a traditional drug in east-Asian countries. In this study, to provide insight into the biological effects of SJ and SJ fermented by Lactobacillus, we investigated their effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated inflammation in macrophages. The investigation was focused on whether SJ and fermented SJ could inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandin (PG) E2and nitric oxide (NO) as well as the expressions of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. We found that SJ modestly inhibited LPS-induced PGE2, NO and TNF-α production as well as the expressions of COX-2 and iNOS. Interestingly, fermentation significantly increased its inhibitory effect on the expression of all pro-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, fermented SJ exhibited increased inhibition of p38 MAPK and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) MAPK phosphorylation as well as NF-κB p65 translocation by reduced IκBα degradation compared with either untreated controls or unfermented SJ. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed fermentation by Lactobacillus increases liquiritigenin and cinnamyl alcohol contained in SJ, which are known for their anti-inflammatory activities. Finally, SJ fermented by Lactobacillus exerted potent anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting MAPK and NF-κB signaling in RAW 264.7 cells.