Anti‐Inflammatory Effects of Antrodia camphorata and its Active Compound, Ergostatrien‐3β‐ol, in a Mouse Skin Ischemia Model

Abstract

Antrodia camphorata, a highly valued polypore mushroom native only to Taiwan, has been traditionally used as a medicine for anti‐inflammation. In this study, anti‐inflammatory effects of A. camphorata (AC) and its active compound, ergostatrien‐3β‐ol (ST1), were investigated in a mouse skin ischemia model induced by skin flap surgery on the dorsal skin. Skin‐flap‐induced ischemia damage significantly increased the expression of the iNOS, COX2, and IL‐6 proteins. However, treatment with solid‐state‐cultured or wood‐cultured AC, or with its derived ST1 active compound, significantly reduced the necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration in both the epidermis and sub‐dermis of the skin flap. The treatments also reduced the inflammatory response by decreasing the expression of inflammation‐related genes including iNOS, IL‐6, TNF‐α, and NF‐κB, as shown by changes in RNA and protein expression, when compared with the surgical skin flap procedure alone.