*Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, †Department of Physical Education, Korea Military Academy, Seoul, Korea
Schizandrae fructus is a medicinal fruit that has long been used for the treatment of dyspnea, cough, mouth dryness, amnesia, and nocturnal emission. Several studies have reported the anti-asthmatic, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-oxidative, and anti-diabetic effects of Schizandrae fructus; however little is known about the mechanisms by which the anti-inflammatory of this herb. In this study, we evaluated the effects of aqueous extract of Schizandrae fructus on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation in mouse BV2 microglial cells. To accomplish this, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) immunoassay, and nitric oxide (NO) detection were conducted. The results revealed that the aqueous extract of Schizandrae fructus suppressed PGE2 synthesis and NO production by inhibiting the LPS-stimulated enhancement of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in mouse BV2 microglial cells. This extract also suppressed the expression of phosphorylated forms of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). These results demonstrate that Schizandrae fructus may exert anti-inflammatory, and that these effects are associated with the suppression of COX-2 and iNOS expressions via down-regulation of MAPKs. (Korean J Str Res 2009;17:415∼424)